The Intern
by Mihzuki
Summary: AU, Christmas!fic. In a giant role reversal, Sesshoumaru is the intern and Kagome is the boss after he suddenly changes careers. An office romance blossoms, but there's something mysterious about the new intern, and Kagome is determined to find out what it is. WAFF warning. Also, pointless, pointless fun.
1. A Christmas Miracle

_Inuyasha_ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 1,847; prompt: Wreathed in Smiles, Christmas Challenge Dokuga_contest; rating: K+_

**A Note: **As of March 2014, this story has been lightly edited for continuity and stupid mistakes. Also, it has finally been finished! :) For the new readers, this is supposed to be set in December 2011, so the days of the week mentioned in the story correspond with the dates of that year. This is technically a drabble-fic, but some of the "drabbles" got away from me, and entries vary from 100 words in length to more than 5,000. Enjoy!

_A mountain of presents, a handful of thank-yous, and a lifetime of happiness to my beta, iheartinuyasha. May you find your own Christmas miracle this year._

* * *

><p><strong>December 1—A Christmas Miracle<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 24)_

Kagome dragged a hand over her face, trying hopelessly to prevent her frustration from seeping through. She really wasn't sure how her new intern was working out. While perfectly skilled in many areas, he'd been with them for more than a month and still couldn't manage to make a decent pot of coffee. Granted, the man had probably never made coffee a day in his life before joining them, but it wasn't as if she was asking him to mix her up a double-tall, non-fat, extra-foam, no-whip, light-on-the-milk latte. It was a regular old no-frills _cup of coffee_. What she got was something resembling rocket fuel.

She pushed the concoction away, some of it spilling over the edge and burning her fingers. Kagome hissed and sucked on the offending digits. A silver head poked into her office, gold eyes blinking in concern.

"Are you alright, Miss Higurashi?" he asked, moving to stand next to her desk. She smiled at him around her fingers and nodded, wrinkling her nose a bit at the flavor of the strong brew.

"Is the coffee to your liking?" he questioned, his brow furling and scrunching up the crescent moon proudly displayed there. He looked so hopeful that she couldn't quite bring herself to let him know that he'd made it _just a little_ too strong, yet again.

She smiled more widely, pulling her fingers from her mouth. He followed them with his eyes until they disappeared into her lap.

"I'm fine and it's fine, thanks, Sesshoumaru. It's just a bit too hot," she assured. He breathed a sigh of relief and his resulting grin made Kagome think it was worth it to have to make her own cup later.

They lingered in awkward silence for a few moments, Kagome waiting for Sesshoumaru to take the hint and leave so she could get back to work, when Miroku knocked on the open door frame and stuck his head in.

"Hey, Kagome, I still need approval for this new holiday ad I want to run. I really think it'll pull in a lot of business," he wheedled in a sing-song voice. He'd been trying to get Kagome to approve a new radio ad for weeks, and each time he asked, her answer was the same—until Sango cleared the funds for the endeavor, there would be no ad.

As if on cue, Sango shouted from the other room, "And I told _you_, Miroku, there is _no room in the budget_ for the kind of ad you want! Honestly," she complained, joining them at the door, "you want an _a capella_ quartet _and _voice actors for this thing? It's just not happening!"

"But, Sango," Miroku whined, reaching surreptitiously for the buxom brunette's backside and being unceremoniously slapped away, "I'm telling you it will double, _no, triple_, our business this season! Everyone wants to throw a Christmas party!"

"And I'm telling _you, _until we get one of these famous, no-holds-barred parties you always talk about, we absolutely cannot afford—"

She was cut off by the loud trilling of Kagome's desk phone. Sesshoumaru reached a hand over Kagome's desk, making sure to carefully brush her arm as he did so.

"Four Souls Party Planning, where you're _always_ the life of the party," he answered. Miroku and Sango grimaced.

"You know, I really think you can come up with a better slogan," Sango scolded.

"I thought it was catchy!" he whispered back, trying not to disturb the conversation.

Sesshoumaru nodded and grunted at something said over the line, then held the phone to Kagome.

"Miss Higurashi, it's for you. Someone wanting to plan a large office Christmas party on very short notice. Apparently cost is no object."

Kagome, Miroku, and Sango all looked at each other, glee and disbelief spreading over their features before Kagome tamped her face into a nonchalant expression and took the call. As she questioned the particulars of the event, biting her lip thoughtfully and pacing as far as the cord would let her, Sesshoumaru watched her with a longing that he couldn't quite hide from Miroku and Sango.

Miroku smirked naughtily at Sango, jerking his head in the direction of the moonstruck taiyoukai before sauntering over and throwing his arm around the much taller man's shoulder. He grinned mischievously and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, glaring at the arm and rolling his shoulders in an effort to throw it off.

Miroku ignored the attempt and nodded toward Kagome before pulling Sesshoumaru down to whisper not-so-quietly in his ear, "She _is_ pretty, isn't she?"

Sango giggled and Sesshoumaru turned his glower on her before forcefully removing Miroku from his person, growling so low in his throat that Miroku could feel rather than hear the vibrations.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, holding up his hands and backing away in what Sesshoumaru assumed was supposed to be a placating manner, but which really only succeeded in annoying him further. Before he could verbally express his displeasure (or better yet, physically), Kagome hung up the phone and let out a happy squeal.

Wreathed in smiles as she was, Sesshoumaru felt his own mouth tugging into a reluctant grin. He simply couldn't stay mad with this woman around. He schooled his face back into its usual expression of indifference before anyone noticed.

"You guys won't believe this!" Kagome shouted, throwing her hands into the air and in the process clumsily pushing a whole stack of papers onto the floor. They all watched the papers float to the ground and Kagome's mouth briefly turned briefly into an "O" of surprise.

"Oh," she said, watching the last bit of paper fall into the trash can. Then she shook her head and waved it off, all smiles once more.

"Never mind, get this!" she said again. "That was a representative from Takahashi Corporation, you know, that big media conglomerate owned by Naraku Takahashi. They want to do some huge, company-wide party and someone recommended _us_! I have no idea how anyone so big could possibly have heard of us, but this will be a huge job; we can't turn it down! We'll have to hire extra help for the day of, of course, but _can you believe it_?" she shrieked, and then spun in a happy little circle.

Sesshoumaru wondered if it would be completely untoward for him to grab her waist and spin her in a circle himself. Then he realized the name she had dropped, and the company, and his small smile froze into an expression of horror.

"I guess you can have your ad, Miroku," Sango said ruefully.

"It's a Christmas miracle!" Miroku responded joyfully, throwing his hands wildly into the air.

Sesshoumaru forced himself to squash down the feeling of doom that was creeping upon him; it certainly didn't _feel _like a Christmas miracle. He had a shrewd idea of who might have recommended their small company for this job, and said individual would be getting the beating of his life come the weekend. He pushed aside his anger; he would have time to examine what this particular assignment meant _for him_ and his tenure at Four Souls Party Planning at home. Now he had to act like the perfect assistant.

"Miss Higurashi," he interrupted the group's excited murmurings, "they mentioned that this would be done on very short notice. How short exactly _is_ very short notice?"

"Oh, right, that," Kagome said, her smile faltering somewhat. Sesshoumaru could have slapped himself for ruining the moment for her.

"It's scheduled for Friday, December 16. Apparently there's no room to move the date; it was set before they selected a planner. Either that or that had something lined up and it fell through; anyway, it's non-negotiable. But I already told them we could do it. Do you think that's bad?" Worry settled over her face, but Miroku was quick to reassure her.

"Kagome, you're the best in the business. You need this to grow. With you and Shippou as a team, nothing can stop us! And with extra help, it'll be a cinch. Don't worry about pulling off the party. The question now is whether you want me to put the ad out next week. I think we can get it made in time, but can we handle more business?"

Kagome pursed her lips in thought. "I'd rather not stop everything for this. We have some regulars that will want to throw small parties, and anything after the 16th will be fine. Plus, I have Sesshoumaru to help me now!" she brightened at this, though Sesshoumaru noted with chagrin the twin looks of doubt etched on Sango and Miroku's faces. He moved closer to Kagome and clasped her hand in his own, rather larger one.

"I promise to do _everything_ in my power to help you, Miss Higurashi," he told her seriously. She giggled and Sango and Miroku rolled their eyes.

"You want me to put out the ad, then?" Miroku asked again.

"Yes," Kagome said decisively. "Shippou and I can have a meeting tomorrow and line up any help we need this weekend. After we have catering and everything lined up, we can focus on theme and creativity. Oh, I'm so excited I can hardly stand it," she squealed, clapping her hands gleefully.

"You deserve it, Kagome," Sango grinned. She and Miroku went back to their desks to work on accounting and marketing, respectively. Sesshoumaru lagged behind, wanting to make sure Kagome wasn't going to get too stressed about this.

"Is there anything else you need, Miss Higurashi? Perhaps a fresh cup of coffee?"

Kagome waved her hands hurriedly in a "no thanks" gesture, shaking her head and biting her lip. "What I have is fine," she assured him.

"Are you sure?" he pressed. "You haven't touched the first cup, and I know how you like your afternoon caffeine fix."

She was never going to get rid of him at this rate, and the last thing she needed was more of the noxious coffee-like drink. Thinking it might deter him, she grabbed the now-lukewarm mug and took a huge gulp. She immediately felt her eyes water and fought back the urge to cough. She swallowed hurriedly and shook her head more frantically.

"Nope! What I have is fine," she repeated, still reeling from the intensity of the flavor. If Sesshoumaru noticed the tears running down her face, he didn't say anything.

"Alright then," he said uncertainly, backing out of her office. Kagome nodded, not trusting herself to speak again just yet.

"I'll just… get back to work on filling out those expense reports for Sango," he sighed, ducking out of the room and returning to his desk outside her door. Kagome heaved a sigh of relief and indulged in a grimace, sticking her tongue out and smacking her lips, wishing she could rid herself of the offending taste.

She looked down at the mug still sitting innocently on her desk and shrugged, a rueful grin spreading over her lips.

"If he doesn't kill me with that stuff by the end of the year, _that'll _be the _real_ Christmas miracle."


	2. Sharing is Caring

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 1,091; prompt: Twirling Stripes , Christmas Challenge Dokuga_contest; rating: K+_

* * *

><p><strong>December 2—Sharing is Caring<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 23)_

Shippou slouched into the office late the next morning, popping his gum and setting a certain taiyoukai's teeth on edge.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, repeating the mantra "I will not kill_, I will not kill_" in his head until he felt he could follow through with it. Kagome probably wouldn't appreciate her creative director being doukkaso-ed to death two weeks before the big party. Especially since he hadn't helped her plan it yet.

On his way into Kagome's office, Shippou flashed him a grin that looked more like a sneer. Despite being the only two youkai Kagome employed, Shippou and Sesshoumaru did not get along. They shared no personality traits whatsoever, and the fact that Shippou was incapable of serious thought or speech, yet it was Sesshoumaru—who was unequivocally capable of both—on the lower end of the totem pole grated on the taiyoukai's nerves.

"How's it going, dog breath," Shippou taunted, not waiting for a reply and knocking on Kagome's open door.

"Shippou!" she squealed, rushing to greet him (and banging her knee on the corner of her desk in the process). "How was your vacation?"

"Fiji was sublime," he gushed, pulling Kagome into a hug and showing off his tanned face and arms. "It's so great to be the kind of demon who can handle the _heat_. I would hate for anyone with a _cold_ disposition to melt in that bright sunshine. Not to mention, I'm glad I'm not so _deathly pale_ that I couldn't get a tan."

He grinned over his shoulder at Sesshoumaru and it took all his willpower not to flip Shippou the finger.

"Now, Shippou," Kagome chided, "that's not nice. And anyway, I burn bright as a lobster in sun like that, too."

"Yeah, but on you it's charming," Shippou argued, giving her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "On him it's just gross."

"I'll have you know," Sesshoumaru said with ill-concealed disdain, "that I neither burn nor tan. My skin is not so delicate as that."

Shippou rolled his eyes and ignored him (which rankled to no end) and rounded on Kagome once more. "So, what's new?"

"Oh, Shippou, you won't believe it!" she cried, her face lighting up with the chance to tell of yesterday's unexpected success. "We have a new account, and boy is it a doozy!"

"Really?" he asked eagerly, attention piqued. "Do I know 'em?"

"I don't know if you _know _know them, but I'm sure you've heard of them! Takahashi Corporation wants us to throw their inter-office, company-wide Christmas party! Isn't that _too much?_"

Sesshoumaru felt himself grinning at her excitement. He tried to force his lips back into some semblance of a frown before Shippou noticed, but it seemed her happiness was contagious, and so he settled on a slightly mystified look that was somewhere between pleasure and stoicism.

"It's too much, all right. When is this party supposed to take place? Christmas is only three weeks away," Shippou said skeptically, reaching across Kagome's desk to steal a candy cane from the jar perched jauntily (and frightfully) close to the ledge. Kagome's face fell as he unwrapped the treat, twirling and sucking the end into his mouth, melding the red and white stripes into a blur of pink.

"You don't think we can do it?" she asked tearfully, worry etched onto her face. Sesshoumaru wanted to growl at her sudden change in emotions and glared at the fox-demon munching unawares on his peppermint stick, wanting nothing more than to shove it so far down his throat he'd be tasting it for a week.

"When is it?" he asked again around a mouthful of candy cane.

"The sixteenth," Kagome admitted in a small voice, refusing to look at him.

Shippou groaned. "Kagome, we can't throw together a party for an entire corporation in _two weeks_. Even if we could, it would be shoddy at best!"

Sesshoumaru did growl then and jumped up to interject, but before he could reach them, Shippou slammed her office door shut in his face. So stunned was the taiyoukai that he simply stood there, staring at the door and feeling completely helpless for being unable to comfort Kagome when she was so distressed. He could hear her crying and Shippou talking to her in a low voice and if they didn't open the door soon he would break it down.

Minutes passed, and just as he was getting ready to make good on his internal threat, the door opened and out walked Shippou with a comforting arm around Kagome, who was sniffling and swiping at her eyes with a damp Kleenex. Ignoring the low growling that was emanating from Sesshoumaru, he walked her over to his desk and sat her down.

"I'm sorry Kagome," he said quietly, though Sesshoumaru could hear the conversation perfectly.

"I guess I just got all carried away on vacation and was thinking about coming home for Christmas and all. I know it's a busy month. We can definitely do this, and it will be awesome. You know you're the best, right?"

When she didn't answer, he chucked her under the chin and looked into her eyes, giving her an endearing smile that had her grinning through her tears. A few more slipped down her cheeks when she smiled and Shippou took the tissue from her, dabbing at her face and throwing it over his shoulder to the trash can, missing it by several inches.

"Right?" he asked again. She nodded then, and the two were best friends once more, setting to work on design and catering plans. Sesshoumaru watched them collaborate, scowling at the dwindling stub of Shippou's candy cane until he finally finished it off with a loud crunch, tossing the wrapper carelessly onto his desk. He wondered if Kagome was always so forgiving and how long she and the fox demon had been friends.

On the one hand, it would be good for _Sesshoumaru_ if Kagome was a typically forgiving soul, Sesshoumaru had a tendency to make people angry the more time he spent around them. And he intended to spend a lot more time around Kagome.

On the other hand, the jealous, overprotective canine in him resented that she could so freely and flippantly spread mercy to even the most unworthy recipients. While he wanted to spend more time with Kagome, he didn't want to have to wade through an army of friends and admirers to do it. Sesshoumaru wanted Kagome to himself, and Sesshoumaru did not like to share.


	3. Family Night

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 1,000; prompt: To Give; To Receive, Christmas Challenge Dokuga_contest; rating T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 3—Family Night<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 22)_

Sesshoumaru wearily opened the front door to Inuyasha's apartment, grimacing at the pile of shoes haphazardly gracing the entrance. He slipped his loafers off, carefully lining them up on the entryway rug, and pulled a pair of dark blue house slippers out of his briefcase. He slipped them on and hung his coat on the peg (which, incidentally, did not hold any Inuyasha's stuff) before calling out to his younger sibling.

"I'm here, idiot."

"Oi! In the living room, bastard," Inuyasha shouted over the drone of the television. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and went to meet him, sighing when he saw their father sitting on the couch, still wearing his coat, hat, and shoes. They were glued to the TV, watching a soccer game as if it held the secrets to the meaning of life.

"Father," he began tonelessly, causing both men to swing their heads his direction, "traditionally one removes one's outer garments before slouching inelegantly on tasteless furniture."

"Hey! My furniture ain't tasteless!" Inuyasha protested as Toshiro Saiga calmly removed his coat and hat, handing them to Sesshoumaru before stooping to untie his shoes.

"It's awful. Ugliest furnishings I've ever seen," Sesshoumaru rejoined, ducking back into the entryway to hang the clothes.

"Sorry, son," Toshiro called after him, "had to see the score."

When he returned to the den, Inuyasha was muttering and examining the throw pillows as if trying to determine their stylishness, and his father held his shoes out for Sesshoumaru to take.

"Bring me a pair of slippers, too, would you?" Toshiro asked, a teasing glint in his eye.

Sesshoumaru eyed the shoes with disgust, as if Toshiro had deliberately stepped in something foul before offering them.

"I draw the line at the coat, father. I may have resigned as Vice President, but that doesn't lower me to servant status."

"What's _wrong_ with animal prints?" Inuyasha asked the couch.

Toshiro chuckled and stood to store his shoes. "Making your poor old man get up just to put away a pair of shoes," he whined. "Whatever happened to respecting your elders?"

"You're hardly 'elder,' father," Sesshoumaru deadpanned, clearly unamused. "You have another five centuries, _at least_. And respect is earned, not merely handed out like so much common courtesy."

"You're so stodgy," Inuyasha complained, still sore about the jab to his decorating style. "Who says shit like that, honestly?"

"Lighten up, son, I was just kidding. How was work this week?" Toshiro asked graciously, trying to shift the subject and avoid a fight between his stubborn boys.

"Hey, yeah, speaking of common," Inuyasha piped up, not giving Sesshoumaru a chance to answer, "isn't the place you work now about as common as anybody can get?" A devilish grin spread over the hanyou's face, his ears flickering back and forth playfully. Toshiro rolled his eyes.

"Four Souls Party Planning is a paragon of the small business world," Sesshoumaru said stiffly.

A grin still plastered on his face, Inuyasha gestured toward Sesshoumaru and looked at his father in disbelief. "Are you getting this? Do you hear him right now? He's playing secretary for a party planner, and he's not even working as a full-time employee! And he calls them a _paragon of the small business world_."

Toshiro clapped Sesshoumaru on the back and looked pointedly at his younger son. "I'm proud of Sesshoumaru for doing taking a chance on Four Souls. Who knows how successful he could be? Whereas _you_, young man, still haven't managed to finish contacting your brother's old connections to introduce yourself."

Inuyasha grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Yeah, well, I've been busy, pops. You know how it is running a company."

"Busy doing what, playing solitaire on your computer?" Sesshoumaru remarked scathingly, shrugging off his father's hand and moving over to the bar to pour himself a drink.

"Actually, I have called some of your old business associates," Inuyasha began nonchalantly, peeking over to see how closely Sesshoumaru was listening. "In fact, just the other day I spoke to Naraku Takahashi about the quarterly board meeting that's coming up."

Almost before Inuyasha could finish the sentence, the scotch bottle was slammed loudly onto the marble countertop and Sesshoumaru was in front of him, hand fisted in his shirt front.

"I _knew_ it was you," Sesshoumaru hissed, eyes flashing red and magenta stripes standing out darkly against cheeks white with rage. "_I knew it._"

Inuyasha grinned, totally nonplussed at the display of dominance.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he rejoined, barely containing his laughter, fangs glinting merrily.

Toshiro glanced back and forth between his sons, confusion marring his features. "What are you two on about now?" he asked, completely out of the loop.

"Ah, I just decided to give Sessh a little Christmas present, is all, and he's just being pissy about it 'cause he hasn't gotten me anything in return."

Toshiro still looked confused, but at Inuyasha's explanation a look of frightening calm settled over Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha's mouth closed with a snap and he watched his older sibling warily.

"What," he muttered, leaning away.

"Ask and you shall receive, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said smoothly, pulling his fist back and hitting Inuyasha with a spectacular punch to the jaw.

Toshiro looked on in shock as Inuyasha sprawled to the floor with a yelp, blood dribbling onto the white carpet. Toshiro thought if you didn't consider what it was, it actually looked rather festive.

"You'll have to eat dinner without me tonight," Sesshoumaru barked in a steely voice, sweeping his way into the foyer and quickly donning his coat and shoes. "I'm afraid I've lost my appetite."

He slammed the door with a tooth-rattling bang and left them standing in the entryway, Toshiro with a pained look on his face and Inuyasha gingerly cradling his jaw.

"That went well," Toshiro reasoned, moving to the kitchen to get a towel and some ice, Inuyasha trailing dejectedly along behind him. "He didn't even melt a hole in the floor this time."


	4. Insomnia

_Inuyasha_ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 300; prompt: none; rating: T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 4—Insomnia<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 21)_

Sesshoumaru lay wide awake in bed, eyes boring into the ceiling. He glanced at the clock—4:18am—and sighed heavily. He had now officially tried every trick in the book.

Deep breathing. Counting sheep. Midnight snack. Warm milk. Hot shower. Aromatherapy. Orgasm. Boring book. Stretching. Exercising. Chamomile tea. Soft music. Fan on. Fan off. More blankets. No blankets. Shot of scotch. And, most recently, cleaning his bathroom (he had a maid, so it was more mimicing the motions than actual scrubbing).

He dreaded telling Kagome about his relationship with Takahashi Corporation. Maybe he wouldn't have to say anything at all, and she would never have to know. Sesshoumaru was certain she suspected his background, but she had no hard facts, and he was highly motivated to keep it that way.

She would treat him differently if she knew. And he _definitely_ didn't want that.

If he thought he could get away with it, he might try to convince her not to do the party at all. But her tears when Shippou had almost let her down were more than enough reason for him not to attempt it. He _wanted _to enjoy planning this party. It was a huge break for the company, good experience, a great opportunity.

But imagining the look on that greedy bastard Takahashi's face when he saw firsthand the poition Sesshoumaru was currently in… he could barely stomach it.

_Oh, how the mighty have fallen_, he thought with chagrin.

_But if it succeeds_, a niggling voice in the back of his mind said,_ won't the look on_ her _face be worth it?_

He imagined Kagome, sweet, wonderful Kagome Higurashi, who worked hard for everything she ever earned, flushed brilliant and beaming with success.

He decided he would endure a thousand humiliating parties to see such a sight.


	5. Cashing In

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 2,200; prompt: none; rating: K+_

* * *

><p><strong>December 5—Cashing In<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 20)_

When Sesshoumaru dragged himself into the office the next morning, everyone was already working, even the perpetually-tardy Shippou, running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.

Miroku barked into his top-of-the-line cell phone, yelling at someone on the other end to "fix it, just fix it," all the while trying to shake coffee into a filter sitting on the counter. He made a mad grab for the phone as it slipped from its perch between his ear and shoulder and he dropped the bag of coffee, spilling the grounds everywhere. He cursed as the phone fell to the floor, right into a pile of the dark grains. He quickly nabbed it up, coffee sticking to his face and sifting into his hair from his frantic movements. He kept shouting at the phone, heedless of his appearance.

Sango was running back and forth between a copier, fax machine, and her computer, gathering armfuls of documents as quickly as each machine could spew them out. She darted around Miroku, trying not to slip on the coffee grounds, and grabbed another ream of paper from the supply shelf.

"Sango, what seems to be the—"Sesshoumaru tried to ask.

"Not now, Sesshoumaru," she cut him off, weaving around him to reach her desk. "Gotta go through these sample P&Ls, get back to some vendors with their quotes, and finish the invoicing for last month. Go pester someone else." She turned her back on him and rushed over to the copier, slamming the lid on a single slip of paper and jamming the "start" button, yelping when she hit it so hard that she broke a nail.

Sesshoumaru was offended. Disgusted. Wounded, even. He did not _pester_ anyone. Antagonize? Certainly. Anger? Routinely. Insult? With abandon (and marvelous subtlety). But pester? No. Pestering implied harassment, annoyance, exasperation. Sesshoumaru was _many_ things, but a nuisance was not one of them.

Giving up, he wandered over to his desk, carefully avoiding Shippou, who was chattering at a mile a minute into _his_ cell phone and searching multiple vendor sites simultaneously. Sesshoumaru still retained enough pride to not ask Shippou _anything_. He could question Kagome when he brought in her morning coffee. Her office door was currently shut and Sesshoumaru was reluctant to interrupt without a peace offering. If everyone else was busy, Kagome would be swamped.

He took a few moments to settle in, checking his email, straightening papers, assuring his pens were neatly aligned on his desk. Just as he was contemplating cross-referencing and color-coding the filing cabinet, he heard the coffee maker ding to announce the end of its cycle and almost used his inhuman speed to reach the blasted appliance before anyone else. Sesshoumaru wouldn't admit it out loud to anyone, but he missed Kagome over the weekends. It felt as if a piece of him was missing, and until he could see her and breathe in her sweet, unique scent first-thing Monday morning, he felt out of sync and on edge.

Carefully pouring coffee into Kagome's mug, Sesshoumaru added two scant teaspoonfuls of sugar and a touch of cream, just as she liked. He knocked on her door with the hot cup firmly in hand, unwilling to spill even a drop. When she called him in, he heaved a sigh of relief, closing his eyes and breathing in the smell of her the moment he opened the door. She was staring at her computer screen, a serious expression schooling her features.

"I brought you some coffee, Miss Higurashi."

She looked up from her desk and scolded, "I've told you a thousand times to call me Kagome!"

"You'll have to tell me just once more, then, Miss Higurashi," Sesshoumaru replied, setting the mug carefully on her desk.

Kagome frowned and reached for the drink, casually accusing, "You're kind of infuriating." She held the mug to her nose, savoring the aroma, before venturing a tentative sip. "It's good!" she exclaimed, surprised.

"I'll let Miroku know you enjoyed it," he remarked sardonically, a bit put out at her shock that he would be capable of making a decent cup of coffee… even if he hadn't actually made it.

"Miss Higurashi," he began, and she glanced up and gave him her full attention. He loved that about her. _Kagome_ never thought he pestered.

"Everyone seems rather rushed today, and I was wondering if there was anything specific I could do to help. Do you need me to make any calls, or arrange for a meeting..." he trailed off, preferring to let her assign him a task than to take his suggestions just to give him something to do. Sesshoumaru despised busy work and didn't see the point of employing interns (oh, how he loathed that title) if they couldn't make themselves useful and assist the company in a valuable way.

Thankfully, Kagome was more than aware of his abilities and frequently entrusted him with delicate tasks more suited to a regular employee. This was a good thing, because if she trusted him after only a month, their relationship had the potential of progressing in both the direction and at the rate he wished it to. This enabled Sesshoumaru to plan ahead with some degree of assurance, and if there was one thing Sesshoumaru liked to do, it was plan.

Unfortunately, Kagome had an uncanny way of upsetting every plan he tried to put into motion, but he was still determined to make something work. And _soon_. Sesshoumaru's instincts had been telling him Kagome was part of his pack from the moment he met her, an integral part of his life since the end of day two, and his intended mate since day six. In other words, he had a most astounding crush. Sesshoumaru longed to touch Kagome, hold her, kiss her, and if he didn't do it soon, he assumed something major would happen. For instance, he might self-combust, which sounded quite serious and not at all like something he would enjoy.

"I wish I _could_ give you something," Kagome was saying, "but we're having some difficulties I didn't forsee and now I don't know what to do!"

"_W_hat seems to be the trouble?" he asked, shaking himself from his reverie.

Kagome turned a stack of paper so he could see it better. It was a typed list of vendors, clearly well-used if the crinkles and coffee stains were any indication. Next to each name, notes were scribbled in the margins and spaces—anywhere there was room, something had been jotted to remind Kagome of important people or details. He imagined she had a similar list for her own clients, just as pocked with marginalia.

"These are all the vendors we regularly use. I called them all over the weekend, and wouldn't you know it, every single one is booked! Full! Not one of these companies could switch things around to help us with the Takahashi event.

"Now I have everyone doing online searches for in-area vendors, but our list was already fairly complete. We certainly have all the well-known and sought-after vendors on our list, and even the people we don't normally use seem to already have appoitments they can't change lined up for the 16th!

"I know I should have expected this, with such a last-minute party reservation, but I was just so excited that I accepted the job without thinking. Why such a large company as Takahashi would go so long without making Christmas plans is beyond me, but now we're stuck with this. If we disappoint on this party, we might as well just file for bankruptcy now, because there's no way anyone will hire us if we screw up!" Kagome wailed, burying her face in her hands.

Sesshoumaru had a pretty good idea of why Takahashi Corporation might have waited until virtually the last minute to plan an annual, company-wide Christmas party, and it both started and ended with his brother. Chances were that Takahashi's employees had planned their annual Christmas event months in advance, and _someone_ had stuck his nose where it didn't belong, revealed some information he had no business sharing, and now he was being tested by one of his father's biggest associates and personal long-time rivals.

Of course, Sesshoumaru had no intention of telling this to Kagome. The last thing she needed to know was that it was essentially _his_ fault they were being so thoroughly put through the wringer. He could, however, use his large network of contacts and unique brand of persuasion to take care of this _particular_ issue. He had a laundry list of favors owed him and he had every intention of using some of those favors _now._

"Miss Higurashi," Sesshoumaru interrupted Kagome's incoherent mutterings, which had degenerated into what sounded like exclamations of horror and cries of exasperation.

She looked up from her arms and asked pathetically, "What?"

"I have an idea. Would you be opposed to me approaching some of my personal contacts to solve this unfortunate issue?"

"Of course not," she answered, surprised. "But I didn't know you _had_ vendor contacts, Sesshoumaru. I didn't even know you were in a position to have _gotten_ contacts like that," she said suggestively, prompting him to give up more of his background than he was willing.

"Yes, well, I'll just be out for an hour or so to make some calls," he smoothly diverted, ducking out of the room before she had a chance to protest.

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru strode out of the office. She nursed her mug of coffee and contemplated the tall, handsome intern who more often than not wore suits to work in an office where everyone else—even she—felt comfortable in jeans.

"Why do you have to leave to make the calls?" she asked her empty office, taking another drink of coffee. She frowned at bunnies gracing the rim of the mug—her favorite—and wondered at the taste.

Sesshoumaru had added two spoonfuls of sugar and just a _bit_ of cream, exactly to her specifications. Miroku had brewed it, which ensured that it was not only drinkable, but actually tasted _good_. But somehow, in a way that she absolutely could not explain, Kagome regretted that it had not been Sesshoumaru who brewed her coffee that morning, foul taste and all.

_Oh_ _well_, she thought, downing the rest of the cup, _maybe_ _he'll make the afternoon pot._

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru returned two and a half hours later, just as Kagome and Shippou were finishing lunch, which they had spent huddled over his desk, brainstorming decoration plans. Greeting them both politely, Sesshoumaru calmly sat down at his desk and logged on to his computer. Kagome shot out of her seat and stood with baited breath, waiting for him to announce success or failure.<p>

When he was not forthcoming after several minutes of this, Kagome couldn't take anymore and blurted out, "What happened? Did you find anyone who could do it?"

Sesshoumaru looked up from his email, mouth quirked in a small, knowing smile. "You now have a caterer, florist, and manual labor lined up for the 16th, Miss Higurashi.

Kagome squealed, unable to contain her happiness. Sesshoumaru was quite shocked when she flung herself across the room and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she gushed, hugging him tightly and punctuating each exclamation with a squeeze. Sesshoumaru stared awkwardly down at her small form. The top of her head didn't even reach his shoulders. He wanted to reciprocate, but didn't want to seem too forward or too eager. When she didn't let go after several moments, however, he threw caution to the wind and wrapped his arms lightly around her shoulders, relishing the feel of her in his arms.

"You're welcome, Miss Higurashi," he said quietly into her hair, smirking at the fortunate turn of events.

"Oh, don't look so smug," Shippou snapped, glowering half-heartedly at his computer screen. "How were you able to round up three free vendors in this town if none of us could find even _one_?"

Kagome pulled back and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "That's a good question. How did you pull this off?"

"I simply had some outstanding IOUs that I called in favors on," Sesshoumaru explained casually. "It's nothing."

"Who are the vendors?" Shippou asked suspiciously.

"Ayame's for the florist, Nouveau Catering, and Seven Brothers Rentals."

Shippou balked. "What kind of IOUs did you _have,_ to be able to make three of the most sought-after vendors in Tokyo drop everything to help us with one party?"

"The good kind."

Shippou shook his head, as if unable to comprehend this new information.

"I don't care if they owed you a life debt, this is fantastic!" Kagome exclaimed. "With those three companies and our combined expertise, plus Miroku's ad, we're going to have more business than we can handle. We might even have to hire you full time, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru smiled faintly at this as Shippou groaned dramatically.

"Perhaps," Sesshoumaru muttered cryptically.

"You mean you don't _want_ to work here full time?" Kagome pouted.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and shook his head, letting out a barely-discernible puff of air.

"We shall see," was all he said.


	6. Business Lunch

_Inuyasha_ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 1,565; prompt: " Merry & Bright" at Christmas Challenge for Dokuga_contest; rating: T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 6—Business Lunch<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 19)_

Sesshoumaru paced from one corner of the small office to the other, glancing once more at the clock on the wall before resuming his impatient movements. Kagome and Shippou had been gone almost three hours for what was supposed to be a simple lunch meeting.

Miroku looked up from his desk and frowned. "You need to calm down. They'll be back soon. They're just at a business meeting, what could _possibly_ go wrong?"

Sesshoumaru stopped mid-pace and stalked over to Miroku, placing both hands on his desk and leaning down to glare at him at eye-level.

"They are meeting with Naraku Takahashi," he replied in a low voice. "What do _you_ think could possibly go wrong?"

"Well, I've never met the guy, but I take it from your tone a whole host of things," Miroku responded dryly, yanking the corner of a contract out from under Sesshoumaru's splayed fingers.

"Naraku Takahashi is an excellent businessman. He likes to demonstrate this through his wallet," Sesshoumaru explained loftily. "I can guarantee he's treating them to a lavish lunch at the finest sushi restaurant in the city, all to impress upon us the importance of his business and his worthiness of our best efforts."

Miroku shrugged, looking bewildered. "I fail to see how taking them out to some fancy-schmancy lunch is a problem."

"Aside from the fact that he's an insufferable show-off, Takahashi is shameless womanizer. And in case you hadn't noticed, our boss is a woman."

Miroku smirked, a mischevious glint in his eyes. He eyed the demon knowingly and drawled, "Oo-oh. _Now_ I see why you think there might be a problem."

Sesshoumaru scowled. "I fail to see how this is amusing."

Glancing quickly over his shoulder to make sure Sango wasn't paying attention, Miroku confided, "You know, _I'm_ kind of considered a flirt in certain circles. I'm sure it's only done in the spirit of merriment. There's no need to worry Takahashi will steal Kagome away from you," he said seriously, sending Sesshoumaru a sly smile.

Sesshoumaru scowled, but refrained from correcting him. "Naraku Takahashi toys with heartstrings like other people play a finely tuned instrument," he explained. "He knows how to make women fall in love with him. He gets what he wants and then he drops them."

"But there's nothing to suggest that Kagome would—" Miroku scoffed.

"Naraku loves a challenge," Sesshoumaru interrupted. "The more Kagome resists his advances, the more determined he will be to win her."

"Well, yes, I can see why that might bother you," Miroku agreed amicably, "seeing as you're practically falling over yourself you're so in love with her."

Sesshoumaru glared at his choice of words, but did not refute the claim. While he didn't want Miroku to blab his infatuation to the office, it wouldn't do to deny what he obviously wanted. If Kagome were to hear of his supposed duplicity later, it could ruin everything, and Sesshoumaru was not one to prematurely disrupt carefully laid plans.

Before Sesshoumaru could warn Miroku to keep his big mouth shut, the door opened and Kagome and Shippou whirled in. Shippou was dressed entirely too casually in khakis and a polo while Kagome looked absolutely exquisite in a pale pink skirt and creamy blouse. This made Sesshoumaru grimace, because the two of them together surely gave the wrong impression of Four Souls to Naraku. Or, rather, it was perhaps the correct impression, but not one Sesshoumaru wanted him to have.

Damn it. He should have insisted on attending that lunch.

"So how did it go?" Miroku asked, walking around Sesshoumaru to greet them.

"In the words of Shippou, it was _sublime_!" Kagome unwrapped her scarf and hung her coat on the peg. With her cheeks rosy from the cold and her eyes bright with happiness, Sesshoumaru thought she was the picture of loveliness. He hated that Takahashi had gotten to spend the entire afternoon with her.

As gorgeous as Kagome was, there was no way Naraku had refrained from making moves on her for _three_ _hours_. It made him reconsider his desire to have attended the meeting. Naraku certainly wouldn't have tempered his advances for Sesshoumaru's sake; rather, he would have laid it on thicker just to annoy him.

Sesshoumaru had been present once when Kagome had been hit on by a client and, if not for Kagome's quick rejection, he would have broken the man's foot without a shred of remorse. As much as he hated to admit it, it was probably better he had stayed at the office. Not only would his presence have created friction and the possibility of Kagome discovering his association with Takahashi, he might have been forced to exterminate Naraku for his behavior toward Kagome. And _that _certainly wouldn't be good for business.

_Damn it_.

"That's good," Miroku remarked casually, standing next to Sesshoumaru and leaning against his desk. "What made it so great?"

Sesshoumaru shot him a dirty look when Kagome wasn't looking. Miroku smiled pleasantly.

"Well, Mr. Takahashi was incredibly charming and easy to work with," Kagome divulged, bending down to swap her heels for flats. "And his assistant was really very... pleasant," she said finally.

"Really?" Shippou asked in a bored tone. "I found her rather churlish. And Takahashi was a lech."

Miroku grinned outright as Sesshoumaru struggled not to growl. Kagome stood to join them, tossing her heels into her office as she passed and flinching when a crash sounded from within.

"He was _not_ a lech," Kagome scolded, nervously smoothing the front of her blouse. She lifted her gray eyes defiantly to meet theirs. "He was just... friendly."

"My ass," Shippou retorted curtly, crossing his arms into a pout. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru was grateful for his presence at the luncheon, which rankled. He did not want to be grateful to _Shippou_.

"Look, we are not having this argument again," Kagome said with finality, hands on hips. "He was very professional... mostly... and he's paying us a lot of money to do this, so we can accept any personality quirks as a vocational hazard."

Shippou threw his arms into the air. "It wasn't a personality quirk, Kagome," he shouted. "He was hitting on you! And you _let_ _him_ _do_ _it_!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "I _said_ we are not discussing it anymore," she hissed. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have work to do." She straightened herself to her full height of five feet, one inch, and stalked to her office, slamming the door behind her. They heard the clatter of something breaking and angry muttering behind the door.

Miroku smirked devlishly at Sesshoumaru. "If you're a good boy, I'll let you be the one who gets to calm her down."

Sesshoumaru was practically shaking with rage. Perhaps he would have to hunt Naraku down and kill him anyway, and Sesshoumaru could write it off as temporary undue stress. A jury would buy that during the holiday season, right?

"I'm not in a fit state to calm anyone down," he replied stonily, before making his way stiffly to the door. "I need some air."

Once Sesshoumaru was out of hearing range, Shippou turned suspiciously to Miroku. "What's his problem?" he wondered.

"Nothing to worry your little head about," Miroku told him condescendingly, patting his mop of red hair, despite the fact that Shippou was at least a half a head taller.

"That only makes me worry about it more," Shippou muttered, shooing Miroku away.

"An office romance may blossom, my good demon, and sooner than any of us thought possible," Miroku confided, nodding sagely.

"I take it you don't mean you and Sango?" Shippou asked with unconcealed disgust.

"Unfortunately, no. But perhaps one couple getting together will demonstrate to Sango the benefits of a similar arrangement with yours truly."

"Doubtful," Shippou muttered unkindly. "But who cares about that? I can't deal with the dog as it is; him dating Kagome would be just about insufferable. That's as bad as her getting with Takahashi."

"Don't mess this up for Kagome," Miroku warned. "You may not like Sesshoumaru, but that doesn't mean you should take it out on her."

"_Ruin_ it for Kagome?" Shippou asked incredulously. "Hell, it'd practically be her Christmas present."

"My dear Shippou," Miroku protested. "You don't really think that, do you?"

They turned to watch Sesshoumaru, who had finally stalked in from outside, the cold still radiating off his form, knock quietly on Kagome's office door. She called softly for him to enter and he walked over to her desk, bending down and saying something that was too low for either Shippou or Miroku to make out. Kagome nodded and smiled, unable to completely keep the flush from rising up her cheeks at his proximity.

More loudly, Sesshoumaru asked if there was anything he could help her with and Kagome gestured to some piles of paper littering her floor. Sesshoumaru bent to collect them and she watched him appreciatively, still blushing. Shippou turned back to Miroku, who was staring at him with a knowing smile.

"Damn," he muttered. "_No_, I don't really think that."

Miroku nodded, satisfied. But as he turned to return to his desk and do his own work, Shippou stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," he growled.

Miroku sighed and patted him on the head again. "Of course not, my good demon. Of course not."


	7. Den of Wolves

_Inuyasha_ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words:1,641; prompt: " Merry & Bright" at Christmas Challenge for Dokuga_contest; rating: T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 7—Den of Wolves<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 18)_

"Remind me again _why_ I agreed to come with you?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Because I made you," Kagome replied happily, not skipping a beat.

They were standing outside a small flower shop, its sign decorated garishly with large, purple irises. Poinsettias were grouped festively in the shop windows and Sesshoumaru could see a huge Christmas tree burdened with dozens of ornaments, its lights twinkling at them merrily, as if inviting them inside. The shop radiated holiday spirit and cheer, the exact opposite of what Sesshoumaru was currently feeling.

He _felt_ like the Grinch.

Bells chimed when Kagome opened the door and Sesshoumaru glared at them, pursing his lips in distaste.

"Welcome to Ayame's," a voice greeted cheerfully. Kagome poked her head around the Christmas tree, but didn't see anyone. She shrugged at Sesshoumaru and wandered further into the room.

"Hello?" she called, eyes still scanning for the source of the voice.

"Back here," it said.

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru again, eyes glinting with merriment and a smile creeping on her face. She bit her lip and followed the voice to the back room. Sesshoumaru trudged after her, nose wrinkling at the cloying scent of the flowers littering the shop. It was so strong that it completely covered Kagome's own scent, which made him uneasy.

The back room was large, and covered, if possible, with even more flora and fauna than the shop itself. On a long, stainless steel table in the center of the room stood the largest flower arrangement Sesshoumaru had ever seen. The base was a red porcelain pot large enough to plant a tree in. It held a towering selection of red flowers and green and white foliage and was shaped like a Christmas tree. It was topped with an enormous, glittering star.

A head poked from behind the arrangement, grinning when he saw them. He stepped out and Sesshoumaru's scowl deepened.

The wolf youkai was dressed casually in jeans and a ratty university sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off at the elbows. A tail flicked playfully behind him and his bright blue eyes shone with suppressed laughter. His brown hair was cut short and curled around ears that gave him away as inhuman. He wore a green and red headband printed with tiny, cartoon reindeer and his head and shoulders were covered in gold glitter.

"You must be Kagome Higurashi," he announced eagerly, reaching forward and clasping her hands in his own. "I've been looking forward to meeting you." He kissed the top of her knuckles and smirked when Sesshoumaru's low growl filled the room.

"And Sesshoumaru Saiga. No one could forget _you_," he said, holding out his hand.

Sesshoumaru warily grasped the proffered appendage, grimacing when some of the glitter sifted onto his coat sleeve. He quickly pulled his hand away.

"Miss Higurashi, this is Kouga Kobayashi," he introduced reluctantly.

"Pleased to meet you!"

"Ah, but not as pleased as I to meet you," Kouga argued, winking at her. Kagome giggled and Sesshoumaru positioned himself between them, blocking Kagome from view.

"I was under the impression Ayame would be here," he said bluntly.

"Yes, well," Kouga said flippantly, waving his hands, "I'm afraid we had to rearrange some things in order to accommodate the Takahashi event."

"Oh no!" Kagome cried, "I'm so sorry!"

"Not to worry, Miss Higurashi," Kouga assured her gallantly. "No one blames _you_. And actually, this is just as big an opportunity for us. It all worked out, we just had to move some things around. Ayame is making a delivery with Ginta and Hakkaku."

Kagome looked relieved, but Sesshoumaru sighed in exasperation. "Do you have any idea when she'll be back?"

"Oh, any time now," Kouga replied vaguely.

"We don't want to be in your way or keep you from your work," Kagome worried, nibbling her bottom lip.

"Nonsense, not at all!" Kouga brushed off her concern and led her to a bench in the corner of the room. "Tell me more about Four Souls Party Planning, Kagome. Is it alright if I call you Kagome?"

"Of course! In fact, the only person who doesn't call me by my first name is Sesshoumaru," Kagome confided, smirking ruefully. "Something about it not being proper."

"Eh, he's just got a stick up his ass," Kouga said dismissively, grinning. Kagome covered her mouth to hide her giggles and glanced over at Sesshoumaru. He sniffed haughtily and rolled his eyes, preferring to ignore them rather than get involved in a pointless squabble.

"So, how did you and Sesshoumaru meet?" Kagome asked.

Kouga slid his eyes over to Sesshoumaru and seemed hesitant to answer her question. "Now, that's sort of a complicated story," he hedged.

"One that you will not be telling," Sesshoumaru finished for him. He was looming over them, arms crossed imperiously.

Kagome glanced back and forth between the two demons, confused. "Why don't you want me to know how you met?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as Kouga chuckled nervously. "Ah, really Kagome, it's not that great of a story. It was just a business thing, nothing to write home about."

Kagome chewed her lip thoughtfully. Sesshoumaru _really_ wished she would stop nibbling on her lips, because he was starting to get distracted.

"What line of work did you used to be in, exactly?" Kagome asked Sesshoumaru.

"Management."

"That doesn't tell me much."

"Exactly."

Kagome laughed suddenly, a sweet sound that rang through the shop. Kouga and Sesshoumaru both seemed to brighten at the sound. "Okay, I get it," she said. "You don't want to say what you used to do; that's fair. I suppose it's not really any of my business, as long as it doesn't interfere with your work with me."

Sesshoumaru snorted and Kagome grinned mischievously at Kouga. "You don't suppose he used to do something… _embarrassing_, do you?" she said in a stage whisper.

Kouga, playing along, hissed, "I don't know. Whatever it was, it must have been really _shameful_ for him to want to keep it from us."

"What do you think it could _be_?"

"Certainly not something… _scandalous_?"

"Oh my, how disgraceful!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Enough," Sesshoumaru growled. "You"—he glared at Kouga—"know what I used to do. And you"—his gaze softened when he turned to Kagome—"do not need to know."

"Sesshoumaru," Kouga chided. "Is that any to talk to your boss?" Sesshoumaru gave him a dry stare, but Kagome was giggling and the atmosphere had been considerably lightened, so he let the matter drop.

"Alright, if I can't know how you met, or what Sesshoumaru's old job was, am I allowed to ask what kind of demon you are?" she questioned Kouga hopefully.

Kouga's chest puffed proudly as he declared, "I am a wolf demon."

"Oh!" Kagome cried, delighted. "And I know that Sesshoumaru is a dog demon. So, you're really kind of the same, aren't you?"

"NO," both demons denied quickly, together. Kagome's gaze flickered amusedly between them.

" My mistake," she grinned.

The back door to the shop opened, letting in a gust of cold air, and three more wolf demons trooped in carrying empty boxes and bags.

"Oh, Kouga!" a pretty wolf who must have been Ayame admonished, "You didn't call me! I told you to let me know if they arrived while we were out!" Ayame transferred her boxes to Hakkaku's already-full armload and hurried over.

"I'm Ayame Ito," she explained, shaking Kagome's hand. "Those two are Ginta and Hakkaku Kobayashi. And I assume you've already met this idiot."

"I have," Kagome replied with a bemused smile. "I'm Kagome Higurashi, and this is my assistant, Sesshoumaru Saiga."

"Oh, Mr. Saiga!" Ayame gushed, turning to him. "I've heard so much about you! I can't tell you how grateful we are—" She was cut off by a loud cough from Kouga, who stood behind Kagome and was making frantic cutting motions with his hand.

"—for your agreeing to meet us here," she finished awkwardly. Sesshoumaru shook her hand, glancing at Kouga with pursed lips before replying, "Of course, Miss Ito. However, I believe Miss Higurashi is the one responsible for agreeing to meet you."

"O- Of course," Ayame stuttered, flustered. "Anyway," she said, whipping around, presumably to check on the arrangement Kouga had been working on. "Let's move to the front of the shop and talk about what you'd like for the event next Friday."

She led the way to the front room and they followed, Kagome immediately launching into her plans for the party space. As the girls sat down at the front table, Sesshoumaru hung back and stood next to Kouga, who watched their discussion with his elbows on the front counter. He was staring at Kagome with a dreamy expression on his face when Sesshoumaru's voice drifted through.

"Thank you," the taiyoukai said quietly.

Kouga shook himself out of his stupor and stared up at him, wide-eyed. "You're…. thanking _me_?" he asked incredulously.

"I believe I just did."

"_You_?" he asked again, unable to keep the shock from his voice.

Sesshoumaru ignored the question and settled in next to Kouga to watch Kagome and Ayame chat. Kagome was an amazing woman, to deal so freely and easily with demons, without a shred of disdain or fear. She worked with them as easily as she worked with humans, and her lack of prejudice was like a breath of fresh air in a world where demons were never considered entirely trustworthy.

"I'm grateful that you didn't tell her," Sesshoumaru continued. He turned to face Kouga once more. "However, Kagome is mine. You cannot have her."

"Hey, you called her by her first name," Kouga joked weakly.

"I'm serious."

"I know," Kouga sighed. "Why do taiyoukai get the good ones?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru gave an amused sniff. "I thought Ayame liked you."

"Yeah…" Kouga hedged. "It's just, Kagome seems so… perfect."

"Hnn," Sesshoumaru agreed.


	8. Coffee Break

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 187; prompt: none; rating: K_

* * *

><p><strong>December 8—Coffee Break<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 17)_

Sesshoumaru stirred Kagome's coffee, shutting out the mundane afternoon chatter as he made his way to her office door. She was sitting in her desk chair, staring wistfully out the window in favor of doing actual work. It was _definitely_ time for a pick-me-up.

A bright red poinsettia sat on her desk. Ayame had presented it to her yesterday as they left, a symbol of goodwill and a promise of many future successful endeavors together. He set the mug next to the flowers.

"Coffee, Miss Higurashi?"

"Thank you," she replied distractedly, not turning from the window.

Sesshoumaru watched her for a moment more before heading back to his own desk.

He could still see her through the open door, shiny black hair gleaming in the setting midday sun. He breathed deeply, taking in the scent of her and the flowers and the coffee. It was soothing and exciting all at the same time.

He had decided. Tomorrow he was going to ask Kagome Higurashi on a date. Not a work lunch, not a dinner meeting, a _date_. He could hardly wait.

He really hoped she said yes.


	9. Close Call

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 1,288; prompt: none; rating: K+_

* * *

><p><strong>December 9—Close Call<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 16)_

Sighing contentedly at the scent of fresh pine filling the room, Sesshoumaru looped the last strand of lights around the fresh garland and pinned it in place. It was late into the evening, and he and Kagome were almost finished decorating the office. The rest of the staff had begged off earlier, citing ridiculous made-up excuses to get out of the annual chore.

Truthfully, Sesshoumaru was relieved they had left. He didn't think he would be able to ask Kagome out with any of them nearby. Shippou would have laughed and taunted, Miroku would leer and make the whole thing dreadfully awkward, and Sango, while the least intimidating of the three, had a straightforward manner about her that could be nothing if not daunting at the best of times.

Sesshoumaru breathed deeply again, letting the smell of greenery fill his nostrils and remind him of a simpler era, when the gagging, permeating scents of the city didn't cover every inch of land and every person he met. One got used to the odor of industrialization after a time, but that didn't mean fresh air (even if artificial) wasn't appreciated. While not quite the same as escaping the city altogether for the forest and the mountains and nature, the fresh pine was a welcome change.

He had convinced Kagome to run out with him and acquire the stuff in lieu of the awful synthetic decorations she had been planning to use. He convinced her that it would feel more Christmassy if they used the real thing, and so they had trooped into the cold, choosing garland and wreaths and even a small tree from a nearby vendor. He was in charge of the main office while Kagome set up lights and wreaths in her personal space.

Sesshoumaru could hear small grunts and complaints coming from her office and decided to investigate. He found her perched on a chair, reaching on tip-toes to line her bookcase with garland and lights. As he moved closer to help her, she tottered precariously and gave a squeal when she lost her balance. Kagome scrunched her face, bracing for the inevitable fall, when she instead found herself cradled in a warm pair of muscled arms.

A delicious shiver ran down her spine when Sesshoumaru whispered intimately, "Careful there, Miss Higurashi."

He set her on the ground and she turned to face him, a flush creeping steadily up her neck and cheeks. "Thank you."

He smirked, and it was a smile he only ever seemed to show Kagome. "You have enough trouble staying on balance when you have two feet firmly on the ground. Perhaps you should leave the height-sensitive projects to me?"

Without waiting for an answer, Sesshoumaru brushed by her and effortlessly reached to the top of the bookshelf, winding the lights in place. He had removed his ever-present suit jacket two hours ago, and through the thin material of his white button-down shirt, she could see the muscles in his back ripple as he moved. She gave a dreamy sigh and Sesshoumaru turned, that small smirk still playing at his mouth.

"Something wrong, Miss Higurashi?" he asked playfully. Kagome expected he knew full-well how good he looked with the first two buttons of that shirt undone, his customary ponytail discarded in favor of letting his long silver locks loose, and his tie deliciously absent.

"No- nothing," she stuttered, swallowing hard. _What _was wrong with her? She was _not _supposed to react this way to her _employees_, no matter how tall and sexy and helpful they were.

Sesshoumaru glanced around the room, taking stock of the decorations that she had finished hanging.

"I think we're done here for tonight, don't you?" he asked, moving to the other room to gather the rest of his clothes.

"I suppose," Kagome agreed, grabbing the heels she had taken off earlier and joining him in the main office. "I'm famished anyway. I haven't had anything to eat since we took that break when we went to get the tree."

"Speaking of food…" Sesshoumaru began quietly.

"Oh, are you hungry, too?" Kagome asked. "Want to go get something together?"

Inwardly, Sesshoumaru winced. Here he was, about to ask her on a date, and she managed to casually invite him out. He feared he would sound like a dunce if he continued, turning her down only to ask her out, when the opportunity to spend quality time together was being perfectly presented… but he had an image built up of what their first date would be like, and a late dinner at a ramen stand did not fit into that ideal.

"I'm not hungry," he replied, taking a deep breath when she met his eyes in a confused stare. "However, I was wondering… that is, would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow evening?" When she didn't answer immediately, he could feel himself beginning to panic a bit. Being turned down _also_ did not fit into his ideal.

"With me," he clarified.

Kagome stared wide-eyed at Sesshoumaru; if she did not answer his invitation right away it was because she was filled with such a feeling of elation that she wasn't sure how to respond. Granted, it maybe wasn't the most appropriate course of action, going on a date with her _intern_, but this was not just any intern. This was _Sesshoumaru_.

Sesshoumaru's mind whirled as he tried desperately to think of a way to backpedal without making matters worse. This was a colossal mistake. It was too soon.

"Of course, I understand that the Takahashi party is creeping up on us quickly," he said in his customary bored tone. "I thought it might be prudent to go over plans, but obviously you'll be busy with more important—"

"Wait!" Kagome cut him off, a bit loudly. "You… you just want to go over work stuff? You didn't mean on a date?"

Kagome's expression seemed hopeful, but Sesshoumaru wasn't sure to interpret that as hope that he _was_ asking her out or that he wasn't. Deciding that he had done enough damage with his hastiness for one evening, he asked cautiously, "What did you think I meant?"

"Well, I hoped, I mean, I _thought_ you meant you wanted to go out on a date. But if that wasn't what you meant…" she trailed off, a blush staining her cheeks.

Sesshoumaru's inner canine soared. She _hoped_ he was asking her on a date. She was _interested_. She was allowing him to initiate _courting_.

"I initially intended for you and I to spend an evening together as a way to get to know each other better, not to discuss business."

"In that case," Kagome said happily, a huge smile breaking over her face and that same sweet blush tinting her cheeks, "I would _love_ to go out tomorrow."

"Well then," Sesshoumaru concluded, pulling on his overcoat and heading for the door, "it's a date, Miss Higurashi. I will pick you up tomorrow at 7:00."

Kagome wrinkled her nose, following him to leave. "Don't you think if we're going on a date that you can call me by my first name?"

"I think," Sesshoumaru said ruefully, a smirk lifting the corners of his lips, "that will depend on how the date goes. Goodnight, Miss Higurashi."

Sesshoumaru left her standing, mouth agape, in the empty hallway, key to the office still poised to lock the door. She watched him leave, noting appreciatively the way his backside filled a pair of dress pants. Kagome turned to lock the door, grinning happily at the way the Christmas lights twinkled through the glass window of the office. All around, it had been a pleasant, successful evening.

She couldn't wait to see what surprises tomorrow brought.


	10. Oh Starry Night

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words:3,472 ; prompt: A Sprinkling of Stars, Christmas Challenge at Dokuga_contest; rating: T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 10—Oh Starry Night<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 15)_

Clothes were strewn haphazardly around her small apartment bedroom as Kagome desperately searched for the perfect outfit for her date with Sesshoumaru. Really, it was ridiculous; she was acting like some teenager who had never been on a date before. Kagome supposed the sentiment was fitting, as she was unearthing clothes from her closet that she hadn't seen _since_ she was a teenager. She even found her old green and white middle school uniform, tucked back into a little-used corner.

She tossed it aside, it obviously being of little use anymore, and assessed the mess she had made. Not only had she discovered she owned nothing she felt was appropriate for this first date, now her bedroom was a pit. She glanced at the clock, wondering if she had enough time for a quick shopping trip.

If she was this anxious over what to wear now, how on earth was she going to get through the actual date?

* * *

><p>He arrived promptly at 7:00 and Kagome answered the door without preamble. It was as good as it was going to get. She had settled on a little black dress fallback, concluding in the end that she did <em>not<em> have time to buy something new. As compensation, she had spent a good hour curling and fluffing her hair and perfecting her make-up. With luck, Sesshoumaru would be so distracted by her charming good looks that he would fail to notice he had seen her wear this dress at least twice before.

When Kagome answered the door, Sesshoumaru's breath caught in the back of his throat. She looked stunning in that black dress he loved, and had definitely fantasized about taking _off_ of her before.

Much to his waking mind's unending embarrassment.

"Miss Higurashi, you look stunning," he complimented, holding his hand out to accompany her to the car.

"Kagome, Sesshoumaru."

"Of course, Miss Higurashi."

She sighed in exasperation, and Sesshoumaru wondered briefly if one of the reasons he continued to insist on calling her by her surname was simply to annoy her. She reached out to lock her door, but he took the key from her, completing the task and tucking it in his pocket before guiding her down the hallway by the small of her back.

"My, how bold of you," she commented, staring at the pocket where her key had disappeared.

"It is merely chivalry, Miss Higurashi, nothing more," he commented lightly, easing her forward and taking her hand. He felt a thrill when she didn't remove it.

"Bold and humble, I see," she said dryly, walking through the door he held open. It was pitch dark and the night was clear. There wasn't a cloud to be seen and stars shone brightly above them. Their breath puffed out in little clouds of condensation in the cold winter air.

He had left the car running in an effort to stave off the chill, and Kagome rushed forward, opening the passenger-side door without waiting for his chivalrousness to make itself present once more. He scowled at that, but joined her anyway. Kagome had turned the heat up full-blast and had three fans pointing at her exposed knees.

"It's _cold_ out there!" she wailed, rubbing her arms dramatically.

"Really, Miss Higurashi," Sesshoumaru drawled, "you were outside for about twelve seconds."

"A very _cold_ twelve seconds," she rejoined, but turned the heat down all the same.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

At her question, Sesshoumaru had to fight down the snarl. Initially, he had planned a lovely evening at one of his favorite restaurants, then intended on taking her downtown to the park to look at the lights. They would finish the evening at a café he knew that played live jazz music and served only the best lattés known to man or beast.

Unfortunately, his carefully laid plans had been interrupted and rudely imposed upon by one Inuyasha Saiga. His half-brother was racking up an awful lot of debt, and at some point he would have to pay the piper. Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, this evening his own karma was biting him in the ass.

"Originally I had in mind dinner and light-viewing in the park, but we'll have to save that for another evening." Kagome thrilled at his words, because the date had really barely started and already he was planning a second. She would have him calling her Kagome before the end of the night.

"Unfortunately," he continued, "a family obligation I cannot escape has come up. On Saturdays, my father, younger brother, and I spend the evening together. Normally a date would be a more than adequate excuse to get out of it, but as my brother _so kindly_ reminded me, I had promised some months ago to be present on this particular evening. We shall have to put in an appearance, however brief."

All this was said with a toneless indifference; the only thing that betrayed his frustration with the situation was his inflection on the word "kindly," which made it sound like he did not think the reminder kind at all.

"Oh? Is something special going on tonight?"

"It is my brother's mother's birthday," he supplied.

"Your brother's mom? Not _your _mom?" Kagome pried, curious at the distinction

"My parents are… divorced, I suppose would be the human equivalent," he explained. "My mother harbors no love for Izayoi, but personally I have no issue with her. My mother can be a difficult person to get along with, and I do not begrudge my father his dalliance. My father and Izayoi are, of course, married now."

Kagome nodded thoughtfully, a smile spreading over her face. "Well, it may be a bit unorthodox for a first date, but I would _love_ to attend your step-mother's birthday!"

"Hn," Sesshoumaru replied, content that at least she found the plans amusing. "Fortunately, we need not attend the dinner, only dessert and coffee. The restaurant I originally had in mind would be unsuitable for tonight. It is quite a distance from my father's house and an experience there is not one I would recommend rushing. Is there a particular restaurant or cuisine you enjoy?"

"Well," Kagome divulged with a blush, "My favorite food was always oden. But I haven't had it in ages. Usually my mama made it growing up, but I don't have much of a chance to get home when she's making it anymore."

Sesshoumaru thought a moment, pulling from his extensive mental list of restaurants in the area. "I know of a shabu shabu place that probably serves it," he finally suggested. "We're overdressed, but I don't see that being too much of a problem."

Kagome giggled. "I've never been harassed for looking _too nice_ at a restaurant."

* * *

><p>Dinner had been pleasant. Kagome proved to be a comfortable conversation partner, mainly because she could talk long periods of time without interruption, which suited Sesshoumaru just fine. He could give her a subject and off she would go, leaving him to listen contentedly.<p>

"There is something you must know before we go in," Sesshoumaru explained, pulling up the winding drive to his father's house and shutting off the car engine. Lights shone through the windows and the entire house had been decorated in glittering, multi-colored Christmas lights.

Izayoi had always loved Christmas. Sesshoumaru wondered if it was a peculiarly human preoccupation.

"Hm?" Kagome asked sleepily. She had dozed intermittently for the ride over, fighting off the exhaustion of a week of hard work, the fullness in her belly, and the warmth of the car. Sesshoumaru didn't mind because he had never before had the occasion of seeing her sleeping face, which was really quite endearing, even if she did drool a bit.

"Izayoi is not a demon," he offered, hoping she would catch all the implied meanings.

"Oh, so I won't be the only human here tonight?" she asked, delighted.

"Hn. Among other things," he agreed.

A look of dawning comprehension washed over Kagome's face. "Oh… wait. You said Inuyasha was your half-brother. So, if she's his mom, and you're a full demon, but she's a human, that means…"

"Correct," Sesshoumaru supplied. "Inuyasha is half demon. I simply do not wish you to be startled by his appearance."

"He looks different?"

"Hn."

"_Scary _different?"

"No."

"_Good_ different?"

"No."

"Okay, _bad _different?"

"No."

"You are supremely unhelpful with the simplest of questions," she accused.

"Hn," he said again. "Let's go in."

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Kagome opened her car door without waiting for Sesshoumaru and began walking up the path to the door. Rolling his eyes at her stubbornness, Sesshoumaru followed, beeping the car locked behind him.

Kagome was already knocking when he caught up with her, and he shot her a half-hearted glare. She grinned mischievously at him, and it turned into a full-blown smile when Inuyasha answered the door.

"Hello!" she exclaimed eagerly. "I'm Sesshoumaru's _boss_, Kagome Higurashi."

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, something he found himself doing quite often of late. This woman would stop at nothing to aggravate him.

He loved her for it. He had always been a fan of feistiness.

Inuyasha's startled face fell easily into its customary smirk, a fang peeking out of the corner of his mouth. "Kagome, I've heard _so much_ about you," he gushed. "May I call you Kagome?"

Kagome gave Sesshoumaru a look that he had come to recognize as "see, _everyone_ does it but you!"

"Of _course_," she simpered, accepting his invitation to come in. Inuyasha helped her pull off her coat and showed her where to store her shoes, grinning at the way Sesshoumaru glowered darkly at their exchange.

"So, however did you find a guy like my brother to be your intern?" he asked, guiding her to the living room by the small of her back, leaving Sesshoumaru to care for his own garments. Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha's hand and contemplated running up and ripping it away from her.

"Actually, he found us…" Kagome trailed off suddenly, her eyes drawn to the top of Inuyasha's messy silver head. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "but are those… are those… _dog ears_?"

Sesshoumaru smirked as Inuyasha abashedly rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah. I'm a half demon, so… I know they're a little weird." Despite his efforts, Inuyasha couldn't keep from flushing at the attention, embarrassed that she had noticed his most distinctive feature.

"Weird?" Kagome squealed, already leaning forward eagerly. "They're not _weird_, they're adorable! Can I touch them?"

"Well, I…"

Before he could give his permission, Kagome was already reaching up and petting his ears happily. Inuyasha frowned and Sesshoumaru felt his smirk grow wider. Inuyasha was extremely self-conscious about his half-demon heritage and loathed it when anyone touched his ears. _Serves him right_, Sesshoumaru thought gleefully, enjoying Inuyasha's obvious discomfort. Kagome tweaked his ears several times, finally noticed the frown on his face, and quickly removed her hands, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry," she apologized again. "I've just… never seen anything like that before." She sighed lustily and looked longingly at the appendages. "I wish _I_ had ears like that!"

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru balked, though probably for different reasons.

"You'd want something like this?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.

"You cannot possibly mean that," Sesshoumaru remarked simultaneously.

They looked at each other, identical sneers on their faces.

"Oi! What's wrong with my ears?" Inuyasha snapped, eyes narrowing at Sesshoumaru.

"You can't be serious. They're ridiculous," Sesshoumaru stated calmly, intending to get a rise out of his brother. He had already ruined what was turning out to be a perfectly good date, and it put him in a foul mood.

"Oh, but they're not! They're absolutely adorable!" Kagome protested, blushing when she realized she'd blurted out something that was probably not appropriate to express about a grown man two minutes after meeting him.

Shesshoumaru gave Kagome a sidelong glance, raising his eyebrows. "You're kind of proving my point."

"Keh," Inuyasha sneered. "Not so ridiculous as being an intern at the ripe old age of—"

Sesshoumaru stomped on Inuyasha's foot, cutting him off with a yelp and effectively ending the entire conversation. Kagome grinned bemusedly.

"I'm sorry to cause so much trouble," she apologized, torn between siding with her date out of principle or helping out Inuyasha because his big brother was picking on him.

"You're never any trouble, Miss Higurashi," Sesshoumaru assured her, offering her his arm and leading her further into the house. "Come along, Inuyasha," he called behind him, as if speaking to a wayward puppy.

"Keh. Damned arrogant asshole," Inuyasha muttered, following reluctantly.

Toshiro and Izayoi were comfortably ensconced on the living room couch, sipping coffee and whispering to each other. When they entered, Toshiro stood to greet Kagome, his wife trailing behind.

"Did I hear you two arguing about something stupid again?" he asked, holding his hand out to Kagome. Without waiting for an answer from the boys, he greeted, "You must be the Kagome Higurashi we've all heard so much about! I'm Toshiro Saiga, and this is my wife, Izayoi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kagome said demurely, shaking both of their hands.

"Oh yes, we've heard quite a lot about you!" Toshiro exclaimed happily, glancing at Sesshoumaru out of the corner of his eye. "My son has had quite the crush for some time now!"

Kagome flushed a deep red and Sesshoumaru snapped, "Father!" before Izayoi stepped in.

"Before we cause Miss Higurashi any more embarrassment, let's all at least have some cake. Any other night and I'd gladly let you all ridicule yourselves to ribbons, but it's my birthday, and you're all here, and I want to open my presents!"

Toshiro chuckled, happy to indulge his wife, and signaled for the cook to bring in the refreshments. Kagome, who had been about to go into the kitchen to help serve the cake, whispered to Sesshoumaru, "Your parents have a _cook_?"

"Hn. And a housekeeper."

"What does your father _do_?"

Sesshoumaru smiled and shook his head. "You won't be getting the answer out of me that easily, Miss Higurashi. You know I used to work with my father."

Snapping her fingers in frustration, Kagome resolved to find out his family's occupation through slightly more talkative and willing members.

"Inuyasha," she began between bites of cake, "what is it that you do for a living?"

"Oh, I work for dad," he supplied, grinning at her attempt to discover what Sesshoumaru most certainly didn't want her to know.

"And what is it that you do, Mr. Saiga?"

"Toshiro, please, Kagome. And I do a little of this and a little of that. Pretty involved in the business world, but it's a lot of technical mumbo jumbo that wouldn't interest a pretty thing like you."

"Oh, but I _am_ interested," Kagome argued, leaning forward eagerly.

"Well, Sesshoumaru can certainly tell you more about it some time when we aren't supposed to be having a party." Toshiro clicked his tongue and smirked devilishly at Kagome. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not nice to mix business and pleasure, Kagome?"

"Certainly, Toshiro, but my business is the art of pleasure, so maybe I never really understood the lesson."

It was quiet for a moment before Toshiro and Inuyasha burst out laughing. Sesshoumaru scowled and Izayoi tried to hide her titters behind her hand. Kagome just looked confused.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Your business is the art of pleasure?" Inuyasha gasped out between chuckles, turning to his brother with humor glinting in his eyes. "Never knew you were into that kind of work, Sessh!"

Kagome's hands flew to her mouth and Sesshoumaru let loose a warning growl.

"Not _that_ kind of pleasure!" Kagome cried.

"_Really_, Inuyasha!" Izayoi scolded, in control once more. "And Toshiro, come now. Enough childishness, you know what she meant."

"Did we?" Inuyasha grinned, ears flicking playfully.

Sesshoumaru stood suddenly and pulled Kagome to her feet with him.

"I think this has been enough for one night. We'll be going now."

"Oh, but Sesshoumaru!" Izayoi cried. "We only just had cake and I haven't opened my presents yet!"

"I'm sure you can manage without us," he responded dryly.

"It is getting a bit late," Kagome agreed, not wishing to extend Sesshoumaru's discomfort. "And we planned on having an early morning since everyone is coming in to work for an extra day to prepare for a major event we're having next week."

"Oh, yeah, the Takahashi Christmas party!" Inuyasha exclaimed, smirking. "We'll actually see you there."

Sesshoumaru wanted to strangle Inuyasha for holding them up, but he had succeeded in grabbing Kagome's interest.

"You were invited?"

"Sure! We go every year."

"_Every year_," Kagome asked incredulously. "_What_ do you people do?"

"Another time, Miss Higurashi," Sesshoumaru said, steering her out the door. "Goodnight everyone, it's been… well, I'll see you again soon. Happy birthday, Izayoi; I hope it was pleasant."

He walked out the door without waiting for their responses, leaving Kagome to shout "happy birthday" as they he led her down the walkway.

The car ride back to her apartment was spent in contemplative silence. Every few minutes, Sesshoumaru could feel Kagome tense as if to ask him something, but whatever her question was, it never came. He was grateful to have escaped the night with relatively few mishaps, though it was becoming more and more difficult to deter Kagome from finding out his past.

It would be detrimental to his plans if she found out now.

Sesshoumaru led Kagome up to her apartment, stopping at the building entrance and digging her key out of his pocket.

"I hope you had a nice evening," he offered, handing her the key.

"Oh, I did!" she assured him, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "Though you didn't seem to have much fun."

"On the contrary, up until my father's house, I had a wonderful time. And anything past that has nothing to do with you; I never expected to enjoy that party."

"But your family is so charming! I can't believe you don't get along. Though, I will say, you are all unnervingly tight-lipped when you want to be."

"Please let it go for now, Miss Higurashi," he begged. "I promise I'll let you know someday what I used to do, but let it go for now."

Kagome frowned, but nodded her head in agreement. Her eyes took on a teasing light and she said, "You told me that if this date went well, you would call me Kagome. You're still calling me Miss Higurashi, so does that mean it didn't pass muster?"

Sesshoumaru blinked down at her, wondering for a split-second whether his next move was too risky to pull off before rushing in headlong anyway.

"Actually, I never call a woman by her first name unless we've kissed. On principal, you see."

"Ah," Kagome nodded sagely, eyes twinkling. "How very chivalrous of you."

"It's one of the many burdens of being a gentleman," he explained, smirking.

"Well, then I suppose there's no helping it," Kagome grinned, standing on tip-toes and bracing herself against his forearms. "Goodnight, Mr. Saiga."

She kissed him lightly on the cheek, so quickly he almost didn't have time to register it was happening. She smiled demurely at him, opened the front door, and was gone up the steps before he realized he should react.

He had just had his first kiss with Kagome Higurashi.

It was nothing like he had imaged it would be.

Shaking his head and gathering his wits, Sesshoumaru yanked open the door and raced up the steps with inhuman speed, catching Kagome just as she was turning the key to her apartment.

"Miss Higurashi," he called, halting in front of her. She blinked up at him, startled.

He tried to think of something to say to her and came up blank. Instead, he pulled her to him, settling his hands comfortably on her waist and leaning down to meet her upturned face. He pressed his lips firmly to hers, waiting until he felt her surprise diminish and she sank into the kiss.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. They stayed tangled with each other for some moments before he had the presence of mind to pull back. He could keep going for hours, wanted nothing more than for her to invite him in and continue until morning, but now was not the time.

She gazed dreamily up at him, her eyes shining like the stars outside. He noted smugly that she looked very satisfied.

He turned her around, keeping his arms around her as he finished with her lock and opened the door for her. Handing her the key again, he gently pushed her inside.

"Goodnight, Kagome," he said, closing the door behind him and leaving her standing dazed in the entrance to her foyer.


	11. Caroling, Caroling Through the Snow

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 400 ; prompt: Deck the Halls, Christmas Challenge at Dokuga_contest; rating: K_

* * *

><p><strong>December 11—Caroling, Caroling Through the Snow<strong>

_(Days Until Christmas: 14)_

"DECK the HALLS with BOUGHS OF HOLLY, FA la la LA _LA_, LA _LA LA LA_!" Shippou bellowed, scrutinizing the decorations Sesshoumaru had set up.

This time, Sesshoumaru gave in to the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Is that wholly necessary?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Sesshoumaru. Soon the bells will start, and the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing right within your heart," Miroku teased, grinning madly.

"Bah. Humbug," Sesshoumaru drawled.

"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch," Sango sniped.

"You better watch out," Shippou warned seriously. Sesshoumaru balked. Was he being threatened?

"You better not cry," Sango chided.

"You better not pout, and I'll tell you why," Miroku explained. Sesshoumaru caught on and rolled his eyes, barely suppressing a groan.

Grinning, they all sang, including the harmonies, "Santa Claus is com-ing to toooooown."

Sesshoumaru turned his back on them, only interested in getting back to work.

"Come on, Sessshoumaru," Kagome said, walking out of her office. Relieved to have at least one person on his side, he stood to follow her until she continued, "have yourself a merry little Christmas."

"Not you, too," he groaned.

"Don't pout!" Sango scolded. Sesshoumaru growled and rolled his eyes again.

"Sesshoumaru," Miroku smirked, "let your heart be light."

"Next year all your troubles will be out of sight," Sango assured him.

"If you don't stop it, I'm taking a personal day," he informed them.

Shippou laughed loudly, eyes twinkling, and declared, "This is what you get for keeping the fact that you and Kagome went on a date from us."

Sesshoumaru gave Kagome a _look._ "You just had to tell them."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, smiling sheepishly.

"Does this mean you're giving her your heart for Christmas?" Miroku asked.

"Be careful with it, Kagome. Don't give it away the very next day," Sango advised.

"Aw, that won't happen," Shippou scoffed. "After all,—"he smirked at Sesshoumaru—"all she wants for Christmas is you."

"Ooooh, baby," Miroku crooned.

Kagome pursed her lips at Sesshoumaru while the other three burst out laughing.

"You were right. I shouldn't have told them."

Sesshoumaru shrugged. He supposed if you couldn't beat them, join them. "_'Tis_ the season to be jolly," he conceded.

Without missing a beat, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou all chimed, "FA LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA!"


	12. Phone Call

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_Words:175 ; prompt: none; rating: K+_

* * *

><p><strong>December 12—Phone Call<strong>

_(Days Until Christmas: 13)_

"Dude, you have to invite her."

"I would sooner subject myself to a pack of ravaging wolves."

"Well, in a manner of speaking, you _are_ subjecting yourself—"

"All the more reason not to invite her."

"_Come ON_, Sesshoumaru! She's cute, she's nice, she's fun, she _likes _you. What more could you possibly want?"

"For you to leave me alone."

"I'll tell your mom you don't work for dad anymore."

"You don't have the nerve to speak to my mother, Inuyasha."

"I'll tell her what you're trying to do with Four Souls."

"Again, groundless threats are somewhat less than intimidating. My mother could care less."

"I'll tell her you intend to mate with a human."

There was silence on the other end of the line, though Inuyasha was sure he heard the barest intakes of breath. He waited, the silence heightening his tension. Finally, Sesshoumaru spoke.

"What time does it start?"

Inuyasha couldn't stop the grin that creased his face. "We'll see you both at 5:00."

He hung up before Sesshoumaru could change his mind.


	13. Invitation

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_Words: 100; prompt: none; rating: K_

* * *

><p><strong>December 13—Invitation<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 12)_

Sesshoumaru needed to invite her before she made plans.

He almost wished she _did _have plans, but if he had to suffer through it, her presence would be welcome.

He cornered her coming back from lunch.

"Miss Higurashi."

"Kagome," she corrected with a sly smile. "I thought we were past this."

"Only on dates."

"Ah," she nodded sagely, "we'll have to fix that."

He almost blushed, but forged ahead. "We've received an invitation to a party on Saturday."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "how lovely!"

"Kouga is hosting."

"Even better! Count me in."

If Saturday never came, it would be too soon.


	14. Affections

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 1,940; prompt: none; rating: T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 14—Affections<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 11)_

Sesshoumaru scowled at the hall's sickly-looking carpeting and boring window treatments. With only two days until the party, he and Kagome had trooped over to the event site to meet Seven Brother's Rental and direct the placement of tables, chairs, tablecloths, seat covers, wall treatments, lighting… Takahashi was going all out. Sesshoumaru couldn't help but think that parties in years past hadn't seemed quite this elaborate. He had a sneaking suspicion Inuyasha's hand was somewhere in the mix, and that it was doing all it could to annoy the ever-living daylights out of Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru was not known for either his patience or his tolerance, and Inuyasha was treading on treacherously thin ice. One more false move…

Sesshoumaru shook the violent thoughts away; mulling over the exact method and timing of his brother's death was not best done while decorating, else the drapes meet an unfortunate end.

Instead he focused on Kagome, who was currently greeting the owner and manager of Seven Brother's. She waved Sesshoumaru over and introduced him.

"Sesshoumaru, this is Bankotsu; I assume you're already acquainted?"

Sesshoumaru and Bankotsu nodded their hellos, having known each other long before Sesshoumaru started working at Four Souls Party Planning. Sesshoumaru wasn't overly fond of Bankotsu, but he knew he and his brothers did excellent work.

Kagome continued, "He says the other guys are pulling the trucks around and will start bringing stuff in. Will you show them where all the tables should go while I explain what I want for lighting to Bankotsu?"

Sesshoumaru nodded his assent and Bankotsu said, "Just go find Jakotsu. He'll be the only one that looks like a woman." Sesshoumaru's brow creased into a frown and he opened his mouth to ask him what exactly that meant, but Bankotsu smoothly ignored him, pulling Kagome's arm to bring her close and walking with her to the other side of the room. Sesshoumaru glared at the fingers that were slowly creeping around her arm to land on the small of her back.

Bankotsu may have been human and unable to smell Sesshoumaru's scent, which had been meticulously placed on strategic parts of her body with small touches and caresses, but that was no excuse for hitting on his girlfriend. About to stalk over and make abundantly clear that he would be conducting this job from six feet underground if he did not remove his hands from Kagome immediately, he was stopped by a high-pitched squeal from the doorway.

"Your _hair_," the man—who could only have been Jakotsu, because he really did look like a woman—breathed, running over and stroking Sesshoumaru's luxurious tresses reverently. Sesshoumaru jerked away, horrified, and eyed Jakotsu like a bug that desperately needed squashing.

"If you want to live," he threatened, his eyes murderous, "you will never put your hands on or near my hair again."

By all rights, this should have had Jakotsu fleeing for cover, but instead, his breath hitched, he got starry-eyed, and he moved closer to Sesshoumaru, his hands clasped adoringly.

"You're _perfect_!" he squealed, latching onto his arm and rubbing his face—which had been decorated with lipstick and a hint of blush, on Sesshoumaru's shirtsleeve.

Sesshoumaru thought he had been more than patient in the past few days. He had endured a horrific family gathering, the wailing of over-sung Christmas tunes long into the afternoon, a conversation with Inuyasha (and really, that alone was worth an Emmy), Naraku hitting on his woman, Bankotsu hitting on his woman, and now, _now_, a man hitting on _him. _Being felt up and embraced uninvited by a transvestite manual laborer was the absolute last straw.

With a low growl, Sesshoumaru pushed Jakotsu so hard that the man flung into the wall opposite and slumped to the ground. Jakotsu let out a moan of pain before practically swooning at the sight in front of him. Sesshoumaru was breathing heavily through his nose in a massive effort to control his temper, but a loud giggle and a masculine chuckle from across the room had that control snapping like a twig under too much snow.

Almost faster than the naked eye could follow, he had positioned himself between Kagome and Bankotsu, whose hand had been moving precariously close to her butt. He grabbed Kagome roughly by the upper arm, growled at Bankotsu, who seemed completely taken aback, and began dragging Kagome unceremoniously to the door.

She shouted her protest, but one stern look and a snarl from him silenced her almost immediately. She knew enough about demons—and the possessiveness of dog demons in particular—to not trifle with him at the moment. He led them to his car in silence, sat her in the passenger seat, and stalked to the driver's side, standing hands on hips outside the car and trying to rein in his temper.

Finally, he got in the car, but he sat stiffly, hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. Kagome reached out a tenuous hand to calm him, but he stopped her with a finger, grinding out, "Just give me a second."

After several minutes of awkward silence, he whipped out his phone and called Shippou, demanding tersely that he make his way over to the site and finish what they had started. After being forced to hand Kagome the phone so _she_ could assure Shippou that it was necessary he come down, she hung up and made an effort to soothe him again. This time, he did not rebuff her.

"What happened?" she asked softly, her hand stroking his arm in a comforting caress.

"That man tried to make a move on me," he bit out, not really wanting to talk about it. Honestly, that had only been part of it, and he was getting awfully tired of having to defend himself around Kagome's potential suitors. It would be so much better if he could mark her as his; her obvious connection to him alone would ward off any males who tried to get too close.

"While I'm sure that was traumatizing," Kagome said lightly, "that's not all that's wrong. You didn't like how Bankotsu was acting around me, did you?"

Sesshoumaru sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you—"

"Please!" she scoffed. "As if I wanted his skeevy hands all over me. But it's hard when you're the female owner of a business and want to get things done. At the moment, it was the lesser of two evils."

Growling low in his throat, Sesshoumaru said, "If he knew you were mine, he never would have tried it." Her eyes widened and he realized he had almost made a declaration that she wasn't ready for.

"I apologize," he began, "I didn't mean—"

"No, it's ok," Kagome breathed, a smile breaking over her face. "You mean that?"

Sesshoumaru regarded her for a moment before hesitantly replying, "I do."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, happiness suffusing her scent. "Oh!"

"This pleases you?" he asked with a small grin.

"Yes! Oh, yes! But… How could they _know_ I belong to you?"

"There are several ways…" he explained vaguely.

"Name one."

"Scent."

"Scent?" she asked in confusion. Humans often misunderstood the importance of scent to demons.

"Hn. And, failing that… appearances. Open affection."

"Are you saying we should be participating in PDA?" she asked with a teasing lilt.

"It wouldn't hurt," he offered, turning to face her.

"Well, in that case…" she leaned forward, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and kissed him soundly on the lips.

"Woman…" he warned, the growl creeping once more into his voice.

"What?" she asked, leaning to plant another chaste kiss on his cheek. He did growl then, and pulled her to him, moving so close that when he spoke his lips brushed against hers.

"You have _no idea_ what you are doing to me."

She grinned again, taunting, "Maybe I do." She closed the distance and he groaned, letting her do whatever she damn well pleased. He could only take so much toying with his emotions before he had difficulty controlling his instincts, and going back and forth between anger, arousal, and affection was taking its toll.

Kagome moaned, kicking forward from the passenger seat to sit awkwardly in his lap, half resting on the dash. Sesshoumaru took this as a good sign and licked at her lips, letting loose a pleased rumble when she granted him entrance. She tasted divine, warm and wet and oh so inviting. She moaned again and he almost lost it on the spot, had to physically control the urge lower the seat and take her in the car. Sure, it would be uncomfortable and in broad daylight, but it would _certainly_ qualify as a public display of affection.

Instead, he opted to slip his hand under her blouse, tugging it free from her skirt before resting his hand on her warm back, groaning loudly at the contact.

Kagome broke apart to breathe and Sesshoumaru sought her neck, unwilling to lose even a second's contact with her delicious skin. He sucked on the juncture between her neck and shoulder, prompting a throaty moan from the temptress in his lap. She began unbuttoning his shirt as he placed kisses and nips up her neckline and under her ear. She shifted then, her skirt hiking up indecently as she brushed against his arousal.

"Oh, _Kagome_," he breathed in her ear, licking the outer shell. She whimpered and he was about to roll his hips to see if he could get an even better response when a loud rapping on the window stopped them both cold. He pulled away from her neck and Kagome's eyes were wide and trained on the window. Outside stood Shippou, a disappointed frown on his face. Kagome turned redder than a tomato, seemingly frozen in place.

While it was unheard of for a Saiga—especially _this_ Saiga—to be caught in such an uncompromising situation, all Sesshoumaru's overfull emotional bucket had room for at the moment was annoyance at being interrupted from such a good time. Pushing Kagome's face into his shoulder, arms wrapped protectively around her, he rolled down the window.

"What?" he snapped, eyes narrowed.

"Really? Really? WHAT?" Shippou gaped.

"Voyeurism is against the law," he clipped out angrily.

"So is public indecency!" Shippou shouted. "What are you doing? !"

"I should think it would be obvious," Sesshoumaru drawled, prompting an eye-roll from Shippou and a smack from Kagome.

"Shi- Shippou," she stuttered, attempting to swallow her mortification and failing. "Just go inside and ask for Bankotsu. We'll be right in."

Lips pursed into a frown, he considered scolding her before he simply nodded tersely and complied, leaving the couple to regain their composure.

Kagome crawled off of him to her side of the seat, tucking in her blouse and pulling down her skirt. She giggled nervously at the heated stare Sesshoumaru gave her as he slowly buttoned his shirt, treating her to a nice, long look at his pectoral muscles.

"So… _Now_ do you think you can call me Kagome?" she asked, checking her hair in the sideview mirror.

Sesshoumaru only smirked, getting out from his side of the car and opening the door for her, helping her out and checking to make sure she was completely set to rights.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he quipped, pushing his hand into the small of her back and leading her into the building.

When they reached the door, he leaned around and opened it for her, letting his lips brush against her ear. She shivered, and he whispered, "_Kagome_."


	15. Mistletoe

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 100; prompt: none; rating: K+_

* * *

><p><strong>December 15—Mistletoe<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 10)_

She glanced at the hand poised above her, smiling when she saw what dangled from his claw tips. He gave her a purely masculine smirk before leaning down and giving her a chaste kiss on the lips, running his tongue along the seam before pulling away at the last second.

She blushed, and he commented, "I know Shippou scolded us yesterday about being overly _friendly_ in public. But it's a rule that you have to kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas, correct?"

"True," she giggled.

"That's a _human_ rule," Shippou growled, watching the exchange.

"When dating a human…" Sesshoumaru shrugged.


	16. The Party

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words:5,500; prompt: none; rating: T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 16—The Party<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 9)_

Kagome flitted and fluttered between the seven brothers (avoiding Bankotsu as much as humanely possible), Nouveau Catering, and Ayame's team, inspecting flowers, approving designs, and adding the finishing touches to hors d'oeuvres. Sesshoumaru could tell she was more keyed up than usual, and when she finally sent a beautiful arrangement of gardenias toppling, he halted his instructions about place settings to one brother (Renkotsu, was it?) and hurried over to her, quickly setting the flowers to rights and ushering her into a quiet corner.

"You need to calm down," he scolded, rubbing a soothing pattern up and down her arms. She ignored his attempt and gnawed nervously at her fingernails, already blunt from a morning of abuse. He gently pulled her fingers from her mouth, kissing the tips before planting them firmly at her sides.

"Miss Higurashi," he began.

"_Kagome_," she corrected immediately.

"Kagome," he amended, smirking, "your constant worrying and fiddling is doing _nothing_ to help move the preparations along, and you are only succeeding in making everyone else as nervous as you are. You are going to sit in that chair, I am going to bring you a cup of coffee, and you are going to relax for an uninterrupted ten minutes. Once you have sufficiently composed yourself, you may join me in delegating tasks, but you are not, under any circumstances, to do things yourself. That's why we _hire_ vendors."

"Are you quite finished telling me how to do my own job?" Kagome snapped peevishly, eyes flicking anxiously toward the door.

"I wouldn't have to tell you how to do your job if you would _do it_," he countered dryly. "And in this case, your job is to boss vendors around, not work with the common people."

"Oh, please," she scoffed, waving away his concern. "If I thought that way, we would never be where we are today."

"True," Sesshoumaru admitted, "but in this case, the job is big enough that your workers require instruction, which you are hard pressed to do while wandering about correcting things. You need to start acting like the boss and not—"

Sesshoumaru's lecture was cut short by an irritated shout for Kagome. She started to respond, but Sesshoumaru pushed her unceremoniously into a chair, commanded her to _stay_, and declared that he would solve the problem himself. Kagome watched with a bemused expression as he strode purposefully toward the unsuspecting catering assistant and proceeded to sternly explain that Kagome was his employer for the day, not his errand runner.

True to his word, once he was done scolding the unfortunate individual (who had scrambled away at the first opportunity, shooting furtive glances over his shoulder as he went), Sesshoumaru brought her a steaming mug of coffee and plunked himself in a nearby chair, watching to make sure she followed the prescribed orders.

Deciding to humor him despite the fact that it was _her_ who should have been bossing _him_ around, Kagome obediently sipped her coffee and willed her body to relax. Just as the tension was beginning to leak from her shoulders, a desperate Shippou skidded into the room, expression frantic.

"_There_ you are!" he yelled, running over and pulling her out of the chair, quickly grabbing the half-full mug with youkai reflexes before the hot liquid could ruin Kagome's outfit.

"I've been looking _everywhere_ for you," he growled, shooting a dirty look at Sesshoumaru, who was still calmly seated in his own chair, legs comfortably crossed. "We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Kagome asked warily, risking a glance at Sesshoumaru, only to look quickly away when he gave her a pointed look that _dared_ her to defy his instructions.

"_Takahashi_ is _here_," he hissed.

"What? !" Kagome yelped, diving for the door before whirling to face Shippou once more. "Why is he here _now_? We're not ready yet! Where is he? What does he want?" she questioned hysterically, looking for all the world like she would rather lock the door rather than face her employer.

"I don't know," Shippou responded gravely, but he won't speak to anyone but you.

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru again and he grimaced. "Your ten minutes are up," he conceded, "though it was hardly _uninterrupted_." He glared accusingly at Shippou.

"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about," Shippou declared primly, before marching Kagome out the door to meet her fate. Sesshoumaru stood and followed from a distance, unwilling to let Takahashi attempt to charm Kagome unchaperoned yet again. Plus, there was the added advantage that if Takahashi tried anything funny, Sesshoumaru could just kill him now, cleanly removing the threat of the impending party and Naraku's unwanted advances in one fell swoop.

* * *

><p>Naraku Takahashi waited by the door to the dining hall, calmly surveying the crew that was placing decorations, preparing food, setting tables, and arranging flowers. Strictly speaking, he wasn't supposed to be here. In fact, <em>strictly<em> speaking, he shouldn't have been involved in party planning at all. There were committees in the company in charge of such things, but the chance to pull one over on Sesshoumaru Saiga was too much of an opportunity to pass up, and now that he had met the delectable Miss Kagome Higurashi, he had one more incentive to butt into his former colleague's business.

Sesshoumaru would have a conniption if he knew _why_ he was there, but Naraku didn't have plans to confront the dog just yet. This time was for Kagome, or rather, this time was for _him_ to make another impression on Kagome. While a bit below his usual standards in terms of wealth and title, Kagome Higurashi more than made up for her lack of airs with her abundance of beauty.

She was _very_ beautiful. She reminded him of a woman he'd had somewhat of an obsession with several years ago. The woman hadn't returned his fervor and their little fling had failed to blossom into any kind of meaningful relationship, but Naraku had always held her as the ideal in the back of his mind. In fact, if he were the marrying sort, he imagined she would be the type of woman he would settle for.

Fortunately, Naraku was _not _the marrying sort, and so Kagome Higurashi would amount to nothing more than a tumble between the sheets, but, oh, what a delightful tumble she would be. It was all he could do when in her presence not to imagine those smooth, creamy thighs wrapped around him, her breath coming out in puffs and moans as he drove his—

"Miss Higurashi," he greeted smoothly, cutting off _that_ train of thought where it stood before things became embarrassing.

Much could be said about Naraku, but it could not be said that he wasn't ever in control of a situation.

"Mr. Takahashi," Kagome replied, slightly out of breath.

"Thank you for coming to meet with me," he purred, moving closer to wrap his arm around her waist, directing them both back into the dining hall. "I just wanted to check on your progress and make sure you didn't need anything from me before this evening."

The tall, redheaded kitsune Naraku recognized as Kagome's creative director was following closely behind them, dogging his steps and sending protective vibes toward his boss. The kitsune might think he had some sort of claim on the woman, but Naraku simply couldn't have annoying foxes following him around and ruining his plans.

"Thank you," Naraku sniffed derisively, turning and facing the fox. "Your presence is no longer required. You're dismissed."

He wheeled Kagome towards the catering table without waiting for an answer from Shippou, but he didn't need to be looking at the kitsune to feel the glare he leveled his way. Naraku smirked, satisfied when the boy heeded his instructions and left.

_That's right. Recognize when you're outclassed and outwitted and leave well enough alone. She _will _be mine, whether you accept it or not._

Kagome chattered away during this whole exchange, explaining that she had things perfectly under control, detailing the food that would be served, the flowers she had chosen, the music, the decorations, asking his opinion several times, but then not waiting for him to reply before forging ahead. It was obvious the woman was all nerves, but Naraku had ways of calming those. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have time to _employ_ those methods before the evening, but he could certainly give her a taste of what to expect when she came home with him that night.

Kagome was in the process of explaining the method she used to tie sashes on the backs of chairs so that the ties didn't come undone when Naraku backed her against a table of canapés, caging her firmly between his arms and leaning close so that his lips brushed the shell of her ear. She cut off mid-sentence and began to stutter, her breath again releasing in short, delicious pants.

"Wh-what are you?" she began with a tremble.

"Everything looks wonderful, Miss Higurashi," he complimented, speaking just above a whisper. "I'm so proud of all the work you've done that I'd like to ask you to do another job for me."

She looked up at him in surprise, her large, stormy eyes blinking up at him in delight. "You… you'd hire me again? So soon?"

"Hmmm… yes," he rumbled, unobtrusively moving closer so that he could smell the perfume of her hair. "Except that this is something more of a… _private _party."

* * *

><p>Ayame paused in organizing a vase of roses, hair raising on the back of her neck as Kouga let out a long, low growl.<p>

"Kouga!" she sniped in a hushed voice, "_what_ are you doing?"

With effort, Kouga reined in the roar that was begging to burst forth. "It's that _bastard_, Takahashi. _Look_ what he's doing to Kagome."

Ayame turned, and immediately a frown crinkled her expression. "What does he think he's trying to pull?" she asked, lip curling in distaste.

"I don't know," Kouga snarled, glare never leaving Takahashi as he ripped the bandanna off his head and tossed it carelessly on the floor, " but I'm gonna find out."

He moved to rush over to where Kagome and Naraku were intimately engaged, but Ayame barred him from going any further with a gentle touch on his arm.

"Wait," she whispered urgently. "I think _someone else _already has things under control."

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru was stopped with annoying questions and useless pleas for advice no less than five times on his way to intervene between Kagome's meeting with Naraku. When Shippou streaked by in a rush of irritated youki, he knew something was wrong. He hurriedly finished his conversation with the caterer and stalked toward the pair. His steps quickened when he felt Kagome's scent spike with something that was an odd mixture of fear and arousal, but he stopped altogether at the sight that met him when he rounded the corner.<p>

Naraku was pressed against Kagome, his mouth next to her ear as he whispered in a register that was just below Sesshoumaru's hearing range. He heard a wolf growl in the background, but paid it no mind, all his attention focused on the situation in front of him and how to approach it. He was sorely tempted to collar Takahashi and haul him outside to take the offense out of his hide. There was a good chance that if he retaliated physically, he wouldn't be able to stop, though, and while Kagome tolerated a lot, _that_ she would not.

He took several deep, calming breaths, telling himself that things were probably worse than they looked and that he couldn't rush in half-cocked only to find out that he was mistaken about the situation.

Then, with a shake of his head, Sesshoumaru realized that he was being entirely too reasonable. He allowed the anger he had been attempting to quell to rush back in full force. A rumbling growl began low in his throat and bubbled up, spilling over so that the whole room fairly shook with the force of his displeasure.

Everyone stopped; even the humans were able to comprehend that there was an extremely powerful demon in the room who was very, _very_ unhappy. Sesshoumaru knew that all eyes were on him, and while that normally might make him a bit uncomfortable, at the moment all his heightened instincts could register was that another man was touching _his _intended mate, and something had to be done.

Naraku looked up from Kagome's neck, expression flashing into a disgusted grimace before he schooled his features, smirking confidently and coolly sizing Sesshoumaru up.

"S-Sesshoumaru," Kagome whimpered quietly, never having seen him quite so worked up. The room fairly crackled with _youki_, setting hair on end and teeth chattering.

"Well, well. Who let the dog in?" Naraku drawled, draping an arm across Kagome's shoulders.

"_Takahashi_," Sesshoumaru growled. "Kindly remove yourself Miss Higurashi before I do it for you."

Naraku grinned, a feral sort of smile that didn't reach his eyes and made him look, if possible, more predatory than before.

"Oh, but Sesshoumaru-_kun_, Kagome-_chan_ and I were just having a little chat. Weren't we, my dear?"

Kagome bit her lip and offered a tentative smile. "I was just telling Mr. Takahashi about tonight's plans."

"Hmmm, yes," Naraku agreed. "And I was just telling Miss Higurashi _my _evening plans." He pulled Kagome closer, practically hugging her, and Sesshoumaru let loose another low rumble that shook the chandeliers.

"Let me rephrase that," Sesshoumaru sneered, stepping closer and wrapping a firm hand around Kagome's arm. "Let her go _now_, or die."

He spoke low enough that eavesdroppers couldn't hear, and the seriousness of the threat was mirrored in his tone. Naraku liked women, and he especially liked Kagome, but he knew there was a time and place for everything, and clearly now was a time for strategic retreat.

He removed his arm and backed away, hands raised defensively. He would take his leave, but not before nailing Saiga with one last barb.

Smiling at Kagome, he said, "Everything seems to be in order here. I suppose I'll see you in a few hours, Miss Higurashi." He turned to Sesshoumaru and grinned cruelly, taunting, "Saiga, didn't think I'd see you again so soon. Good to know after quitting your last job you're finding things to do with your time. I suppose blowing up balloons and decorating cakes for children's birthday parties _is _better than puttering around in your mother's garden like a little old woman. Sure, the pay isn't great, but at least it gives you something to do so you don't have to think about what a failure you are."

Sesshoumaru snarled and stepped forward, tempted beyond all reasoning to destroy Takahashi anyway for his impertinence. Naraku sidestepped and snagged Kagome's hand, giving it a chaste kiss before muttering loud enough for Sesshoumaru to hear, "Just remember, Miss Takahashi. Dogs may be pretty and loyal, but in the end you should be with someone who can make you feel good _and_ help pay the bills. I look forward to seeing you tonight."

Before Sesshoumaru could truly lose control, he was gone. Kagome sagged heavily against the table and ran a hand through her hair before resting it over her eyes. Sesshoumaru bent over to ask if she was okay, but she backed away before he could say anything.

"Sesshoumaru, just… Look, I don't need this now. I don't need anyone, and I mean _anyone_, rubbing in my face that I was clearly wrong about his motives." Kagome fluttered her hands in front of her face in an agitated fit. "I don't need this right now! I have a party to finish preparing, and only three hours to do it!"

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand, cutting him off again. "Before you tell me that I need to relax, or have a cup of coffee, or some other silly thing, _no_, I do _not_, I need to finish this party! So you just… just… go do something productive and let me work, _please_!"

She whirled to go, but turned around and shook her finger in his face, unaware that the whole hall was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"And another thing, _Mr. Saiga_! I can take care of myself! So in the future, please refrain from butting in where you're not needed!"

And with that, she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving a stunned Sesshoumaru in her wake. He gave Kouga and Shippou, who were standing nearby, a bewildered look, as if to say, "what did I do?"

Shippou only shook his head, staring at the ground and muttering to himself, but Kouga gave him a sympathetic look. Turning back to the flower arrangement he was designing for the entrance hall, he offered, "Tough luck, man." Slowly, the hall trickled back into a sense of normalcy, Shippou commanding everyone to mind their own business and get back to work. It took Sesshoumaru somewhat longer to gather his wits, wondering just what he had done wrong, and how he could now go about making it right.

* * *

><p>"This is great!" Sango exclaimed, surveying the party in full swing.<p>

"It did turn out wonderfully, didn't it?" Kagome agreed, watching as couples formed on the dance floor and businessmen grouped around the buffet. This was her favorite part of party planning, watching the actual party come together and seeing how people interacted in an environment that was relaxed and inviting.

Because her staff was small, Kagome allowed them to attend the party as guests, dressing up and enjoying the fruits of their labor. After all, they _did _hire vendors to take care of the heavy lifting, and dressing up allowed Kagome to mingle with the guests, find out their preferences, and still be available should a crisis arise.

Sango looked stunning in a floor-length magenta gown that hugged her curves in all the right places and glittered when she moved. She had tied her hair up, pinning it so that she looked sleek and elegant. Kagome was certain she saw more than one man's eye catch and _stay_ on Sango, but she was more pleased to see that the ever-flirtatious Miroku's roving eye was firmly situated on only one woman this evening.

Kagome herself had opted for a simple navy blue silk cocktail dress that she only wore to especially fancy get-togethers. Admittedly, part of the reason she had chosen it was because Sesshoumaru hadn't seen her in it yet, but she also favored it for its simplicity. And the fact that it made her legs look a mile long. Paired with the right heels and diamond studs, she was confident that she blended into the crowd without being forgettable.

Together, Kagome and Sango appraised the room, chatting quietly and pointing out the people who were obviously getting sauced.

"I'm going to go tell the bartender to cut that guy off," Sango commented, leaving Kagome alone as she made her way to the crowded bar.

Kagome continued to watch in silence, wistfully watching the couples on the dance floor and wishing Sesshoumaru would forget about their earlier argument and ask her to dance. She knew she had been childish when she reprimanded him for coming to her rescue, and was perfectly aware of the possessive instincts of dog demons, but she had been so embarrassed by the whole ordeal. Truthfully, she was relieved at his intervention, because she had been floundering for a way to keep Naraku at bay without completely ruining her business. Sesshoumaru had saved her the trouble.

Naraku's parting comment had also heightened her already aroused curiosity about Sesshoumaru's past. It was eating her up inside that she didn't know his former career. Maybe, if she played her cards right, she could speak to Inuyasha tonight and get him to spill the beans. While she was confident that Naraku would tell her if she asked, she was loathe to encourage him further. Handsome and successful he might be, but something about him was creepy. He reminded her of a big spider, spinning an intricate web and weaving her inside it, waiting until the opportune moment to bite.

A shiver ran down her spine at her morbid thoughts, and she nearly jumped out of her skin at the touch of a gentle hand on her back.

"I hope you're enjoying yourself, Miss Higurashi," Naraku purred silkily behind her. Kagome suppressed another shiver and turned to face him. She would be kind and professional, but she also wouldn't take any more of his uncomfortable flirting.

"Mr. Takahashi," she greeted smoothly, holding her hand out to shake. "I trust everything is to your satisfaction?"

"Indeed," he assured her, leaning closer than she was comfortable with. "You look _ravishing_, Miss Higurashi." Kagome blushed and he took hold of her hands. "As I was saying this afternoon, I'm impressed with the quality of your work. I'd love to get to know you better and learn more about your business. Perhaps we could discuss it over dinner?"

"Hmmm," Kagome agreed distractedly, searching the crowd for an excuse to get away. When she spotted him, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned her attention back to Naraku.

"I'm very busy, Mr. Takahashi. I don't know when I'll find time in my schedule, but perhaps you can call my assistant to set up a date?" she asked sweetly.

Naraku's lip curled. "You mean Saiga?"

"Mmmm, yes. If you'll excuse me, I see someone I need to talk to. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night, Mr. Takahashi."

She made a clean exit, making a beeline for her quarry at the bar.

"Kagome!" he greeted when he spotted her.

"Hello, Inuyasha. I know we hardly know each other, but would you mind pretending to have a conversation with me so I don't get interrupted by Mr. Takahashi?"

"Keh. Don't need to pretend; I actually did want to talk to you." He peered around her shoulder, searching for Naraku. "That idiot bothering you?" he questioned gruffly.

"Oh, it's alright. I think he'll leave me alone for the time being," she assured with a smile. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"My brother invited you to the party tomorrow?" he wondered, grabbing his bottle of beer and a glass of wine for Kagome before steering them to a nearby chaise. She accepted his offer to sit and made herself comfortable.

"The party that Kouga is hosting?"

"That's the one. You're coming, then?"

"Of course!" she smiled brightly and took a sip of her wine. "I love going to parties that I'm not in charge of planning!" she said with a laugh. Inuyasha was struck by her loveliness, made more apparent by her joyful spirit, and wished that his brother didn't have a prior claim.

"Good. I'd love to interact with you in a setting where you're not working and not surrounded by my crazy family. I suppose it would be too much to see you when my brother isn't being an ass."

"Oh… well, he's not—"

"Do you always talk this way about me when I'm not around, little brother?"

Kagome and Inuyasha peered up to see a peeved Sesshoumaru towering over them. Kagome shrunk back a bit at his displeasure, but Inuyasha recovered quickly enough.

"Keh! I talk about you like that when you _are_ around, nevermind when you're eavesdropping on innocent conversations."

Sesshoumaru blinked and raised an eyebrow.

"I was just watching your lady for you while you were away," Inuyasha grinned. "You want her back now?"

"Hnn…" Sesshoumaru agreed, turning to Kagome. "You and I need to talk. Would you mind accompanying me somewhere we won't be bothered?"

"Well… I shouldn't leave in case anyone needs me," she hedged, biting her lip.

Sesshoumaru frowned, but a voice behind them stopped him from arguing further.

"We'll keep an eye on things for you, won't we Sango?" Miroku offered, inserting himself smoothly into the group and conversation. Before Kagome could protest, he held a hand out to Inuyasha and introduced himself.

"I'm Miroku, Kagome's advertising department," he said with a wink. "I don't think I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance."

"Inuyasha Saiga," Inuyasha replied, eyeing the proffered hand warily. "You're not hitting on me, are you? 'Cause I don't swing that way, man."

Miroku looked offended, clasping a hand to his chest and raising his eyes dramatically. "My good man, how can you think I would proposition you with such glibness? Besides," he grinned saucily, "you're not my type."

Inuyasha grimaced, but moved so Miroku and Sango would have room to sit.

"If you're sure you have things under control…" Kagome fretted, gaze flitting between Sango and Sesshoumaru.

"I'm _sure _things will be fine, Kagome," Miroku assured her. "Go have fun."

As Sesshoumaru steered her toward the coat room, which was currently dark and unoccupied, she heard Miroku call, "But not _too much_ fun!"

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, but refrained from commenting until they were quietly ensconced in the closet. Kagome fidgeted nervously, waiting for him to have the first word. Finally, he spoke.

"You look very beautiful tonight, Kagome," he complimented. He had closed the door, and it was so dark that all she could make out was the silvery color of his hair.

"Thank you. You look very handsome," she said quietly, unsure how to go from talking about their state of dress to apologizing for her behavior that afternoon. It turned out she didn't have to.

"I'm sorry for interfering earlier today," Sesshoumaru said stiffly. "I was out of line."

"No!" Kagome assured him, moving closer and feeling for an arm. She found a fur coat. "I was the one who was out of line. I might be in charge at work, but you were right to stop Naraku. He was trying to interfere in our relationship, and you have just as much say in that as I do."

"Hnn…"

"In fact… I kind of liked it," Kagome admitted shyly, still feeling around for a recognizable body part.

"You… did? You don't have a problem with my… hnn… attitude toward your relationship with other men?"

"Well, no. I mean, you should have a say in—" Kagome stumbled, and Sesshoumaru sucked in a sharp breath when she collided with his chest.

"_Kagome_," he whispered heatedly in her ear. She leaned closer, relishing in the scent and feel of him.

"Yes?" she breathed, tilting her face up.

"Please remove your heel from my foot," he grunted.

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed, moving away so quickly that she fell in a flurry of fur and fabric.

"Are you alright?" Sesshoumaru asked from somewhere above her.

"I'm fine," she gasped, moving a heavy wool coat off her chest. "If we can just turn on a light so I can see…"

"No need," Sesshoumaru dismissed, "I can see."

Suddenly, Kagome was lifted effortlessly against a warm, broad chest. Sesshoumaru set her on a table that was underneath some coats, and her back was comfortably pillowed by dozens of pieces of outerwear. Sesshoumaru invited himself between her legs, nudging them apart and resting his hands on her bare thighs.

"Are we not fighting anymore, then?" Kagome asked, looking in the general direction of where she thought his face was.

"Hnn…" Sesshoumaru replied. And then he kissed her.

Kagome's world narrowed to Sesshoumaru and the sensations he was creating. His tongue caressed hers, his lips worshiped her face, his hands rubbed the top of her legs, his hair floated around them in a cloud of silver and softness. He groaned when she wrapped her legs around him. When they broke for air, he panted as her lips found his neck and her fingers nimbly unbuttoned the shirt to his tux.

"Wait, the tie," he mumbled, hands leaving her legs to undo the silk at his neck. She assisted by removing his jacket, and soon his hands sought her back, indicating she was once again free to slip his buttons and continue her perusal of his neck.

"_Kagome_…" he groaned, "you feel amazing."

"Mmmm," she agreed, nipping lightly at the sensitive skin beneath his ear.

"And I was lying earlier when I said you looked beautiful," he muttered between kisses to her collarbone. "You look damn sexy in this dress, Higurashi."

"Mmm," she giggled against his chest, raising goosebumps.

"In fact," he continued, nibbling lightly at her neck and sending shivers up and down her spine, "you look good enough to eat. You have the best set of legs I've ever seen on a woman, have I ever told you that?"

He punctuated his statement by running a hand slowly up her calf, stopping just before the inside of her thigh.

Kagome broke off from his chest, panting heavily, and he admitted seriously, "Everything about you is the best I've ever seen."

Kagome paused, sensing a change in the atmosphere. "S-Sesshoumaru?"

"Kagome," he confessed earnestly, "I have to tell you… it's never been the right time. It's probably not the right time now, but I can't stop myself…"

He trailed off and Kagome placed both hands gently on his cheeks and turned his face toward hers, knowing that even if she couldn't see him, he could see her. "You can tell me _anything_, Sesshoumaru," she assured, hoping he knew that she meant it.

"Kagome… I know that we've been on one date. And that I've kissed you five times. And that I've only known you for about two months. But I love you, Kagome Higurashi. I love you more than I've ever loved anything in my life."

Kagome felt her eyes widen and her cheeks redden and she wondered if Sesshoumaru's eyes were good enough that he could see _that_ in the dark. She bit her lip and breathed deeply, fully processing his declaration, before wrapping him in a hug that was so tight it made her arms hurt.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru," she mumbled into his chest, "I love you, too."

"What?" he gaped, pulling back and looking into her eyes. "What did you just say?"

"I love you, too!" she cried, tears prickling her eyes.

Sesshoumaru returned the hug as gently as he could before he couldn't take it anymore, wrapping Kagome in a passionate kiss that stole her breath away.

"I've loved you for so long," he admitted, kissing the corner of her mouth, her cheeks, and her eyelids before returning to her lips. "It's been like torture trying to hold it in."

Kagome giggled and nuzzled against his nose, kissing the tip before pulling back.

"What does this mean, then? I mean, for you as a demon and me as a human?"

Sesshoumaru rested his forehead against hers and explained, "It means that I am now openly courting you with the full intention of making you my mate. That is… if you accept my suit, of course."

"Oh… Sesshoumaru," Kagome gasped. "Of _course_ I do!"

Her acceptance set off another round of kisses that soon had the couple thoroughly entwined. They might have remained that way all night if not for the door opening and the exasperated gasp that greeted them.

"We've _really _got to stop meeting like this," Shippou commented dryly. Sesshoumaru and Kagome tried in vain to disentangle themselves, but Shippou only grunted, "I'll give you five minutes to compose yourselves and rejoin the party before I turn the hose on you."

They could hear him grumbling as he closed the door behind him, "Honestly, I know people usually get drunk and throw themselves all over each other at the annual Christmas party, but it's not supposed to be the woman who's _hired_ to throw the thing…"

Kagome smiled up at Sesshoumaru while he adjusted the front her dress and smoothed the tangles from her hair. "We really _do_ have to stop letting Shippou find us."

"Hnn… Maybe if we stop making out in public," Sesshoumaru joked, reaching on the floor for his tie.

"And we really should rejoin the party. I mean, it is our _job_."

"After Takahashi's behavior, he's luck we're still throwing it." He slid his eyes over to her and let himself scan her figure. He knew she couldn't see him in the dark, but she felt the full force of his attraction through his words when he said, "And everyone else is lucky we're still even here after your confession."

Kagome's face heated and she argued, "_My_ confession! You're the one who confessed!"

"I was not _confessing_ anything," Sesshoumaru rejoined loftily. "I was merely stating a fact."

"Sure sounded like a confession," Kagome muttered moodily.

"Hnn." Sesshoumaru grinned. "Shall we go?"

"I suppose," Kagome sighed, jumping off the table and slipping her arm into his. When they re-entered the hustle and bustle of the party outside the coat closet, nothing had changed. People were still drinking, couples were still dancing, businessmen were still chatting.

Nothing had changed, and yet, everything had.


	17. Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 2,668; prompt: Bark & Bite, Christmas Challenge dokuga_contest; Rating: T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 17—Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 8)_

Shippou snagged a red plastic cup of eggnog from the table and glowered moodily in the general direction of Sesshoumaru. The taiyoukai's arm was snaked comfortably around Kagome's waist, his fingers idly toying with the small tendrils of hair that dangled there, and every so often his fingers would move down an inch to delicately caress the swell of her backside before hopping upward again.

Shippou wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling, watching them. Anger, certainly, but perhaps also a bit of jealousy, and maybe even regret. He didn't like feeling that way, and he had known long ago that although he _loved _Kagome, nothing romantic would ever work between them, so he insinuated himself into her life through work and friendship. In the past, it had always seemed like Kagome needed him just as much as he needed her, but he feared that now the arrogant, overbearing dog demon had wormed his way into her defenses and life, he was going to take second-wheel.

That did not sit well.

Taking an angry gulp of the thick drink, he coughed suddenly and violently at the assault of nutmeg on his delicate senses. He pressed the back of his hand to his mouth to keep from spewing eggnog all over Kouga's carpet. Wiping his mouth, satisfied that at least the stuff hadn't got sucked up his nose during the fit, he felt behind him for the couch, his eyes still not leaving the couple chatting animatedly with Inuyasha.

Shippou had been introduced to the intern's brother at the party last night, and while they had hit it off better than he and Sesshoumaru, it was Miroku who had gotten them the invitation to the party. Being in the party planning business, in general the staff at Four Souls Party Planning would attend any event presented to them, but a party where Kagome would attend as Sesshoumaru's date seemed even more worthy than the usual soiree.

Shippou grimaced at the knowledge that he had wanted to see them interact as a couple in public. He begrudgingly admitted that walking in on them making out not once, but _twice_ ought to have more than satisfied his curiosity. But apparently he was a glutton for punishment, because although he _hated_ seeing Kagome comfortably trapped between Sesshoumaru's arms, he couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from the gruesome scene. He had just about made up his mind. _Something_ had to be done. It was time for Shippou to bring some of his famous (and dreaded) _kitsune_ magic into the picture.

* * *

><p>Miroku watched as Shippou gagged on his eggnog and lowered himself to the couch, gaze locked on Sesshoumaru and Kagome. The expression on his face suggested that he wasn't ruminating on what a wonderful couple they made. Dismissing himself from Sango and Ayame, who were in deep discussion about an upcoming 10K marathon they were both planning on participating in, he wended his way through the crowd of demons and humans to the creative director. Shippou didn't even glance at him when he sat down, his grimace and the glint in his eye reserved for Sesshoumaru.<p>

"You're looking a bit green," Miroku commented lightly, making Shippou start and whip his head toward him.

"What?" Shippou asked, startled. He _did _feel a bit ill.

Miroku's eyes sparkled. "With _envy_."

"Tch," Shippou spat, wrinkling his nose and gesturing with an irritated hand toward the office couple. Kagome was laughing at something Inuyasha had said while Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm more possessively around her waist. "I just can't stand watching them like this. Did I tell you I walked in on them twice?"

"What?" Miroku gasped, leaning forward eagerly. "They're _that _close already? And doing it in public, to boot? My my," he mused, "I had no idea Kagome was so kinky."

"Wipe that disgusting grin off your face," Shippou growled. "I just walked in on them _kissing_, you pervert."

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Well then _say_ that, instead of getting everyone's hopes up."

Shippou stuck his tongue out, as if he had tasted something rotten. "Nevermind that. Just help me figure out a way to stop this. It's gone on long enough, as far as I can tell."

"Stop it? !" Miroku yelped. "Why on _earth_ would you want to _stop _it? They're getting along swimmingly, and heaven knows they both need it. It's the perfect time of year for romance, and I'd rather start one of my own than ruin someone else's, if you don't mind."

At this, Miroku looked longingly toward Sango, who was still chatting animatedly with Ayame in the corner.

"I don't have a problem with you and Sango, though you'll be hard pressed to get her to go out with you, what with your attitude—"

"—What's wrong with my attitude? I'm _amorous_!" Miroku interrupted.

Shippou continued as if he hadn't spoken."I just can't stand that stupid, arrogant, idiot _dog_."

Miroku sighed and propped his hand on Shippou's shoulder. "Look, I know you two don't exactly get along. But we've talked about this. The important thing is that _Kagome_ is happy. And she looks pretty happy to me, don't you think?"

Both men swung their eyes toward Kagome, who was smiling lovingly at Sesshoumaru as he and Inuyasha argued, Inuyasha poking his finger in Sesshoumaru's face and the taiyoukai affecting a disgusted aloofness and pushing Inuyasha's hand away.

Shippou grimaced. "The dreamy smile on her face would indicate that she is," he stated dryly.

Miroku raised his eyebrows. "I know that you want Kagome to be happy. And I know that if it were another guy—a guy that you were friends with—like, say, _me_,"—Shippou rolled his eyes and shook his head emphatically _no,_ but Miroku ignored him—"you wouldn't be acting so uptight."

At that, Miroku smiled knowingly at the dog demon, and then back at Shippou, a sly twinkle in his eye. "I think you're _jealous_ of Sesshoumaru."

Shippou's eyes widened and he scooted backwards away from Miroku. "I am _not_ jealous of _Sesshoumaru_," he barked, incredulous.

"Methinks thou doth protest too much," Miroku sang.

"I am _not_ jealous," Shippou reiterated. "I just don't think he deserves Kagome, is all."

Mmm_hmmm_," Miroku goaded.

Shippou gave Miroku a dry look, but refrained from commenting further.

"All right, fine," Miroku conceded, though privately he still thought he was right, "you're not jealous. But if that's true, shouldn't you just leave them alone and see whether things work out?"

"I'll leave them be, for now," Shippou pouted. "Especially since _someone_ won't leave well enough alone."

Miroku flashed a cheeky grin, happy to have won the round.

"_But_," Shippou warned, "at the first sign of trouble, I'm gonna be on that like white on rice. That dumb dog will be out of there so fast, he won't know what hit 'im."

Miroku sighed. There was just no helping these demons. _Think they know everything_, he thought with an inward chuckle, shaking his head ruefully. _Oh well. This ought to be entertaining no matter _how _it turns out_.

He raised his red plastic glass of eggnog to Shippou, toasting his tenacity, if nothing else. "_Kanpai_!"

* * *

><p>"I think I'm going to go see if Kouga needs help," Kagome excused herself from the two brothers, who acknowledged her with a quick glance, not even breaking their discussion. She liked Inuyasha a lot, and she <em>loved <em>Sesshoumaru, but her idea of a perfect party was not listening to a stuffy taiyoukai and bratty hanyou argue about whether soccer or baseball was the more worthy sport.

They'd been going on about it for at least ten minutes, and neither man was closer to conceding his point than he had been when the argument started. She figured it could go on for awhile, so she untangled herself from her boyfriend and sought out her third-favorite canine.

"Need any help in here, Mr. Host?" Kagome asked as she wandered into the warm kitchen, the smells of freshly-baked cookies, cinnamon, and nutmeg perfuming the air.

"Kagome!" Kouga smiled and turned from frosting the cake that had just finished cooling. He was adorned in his usual bandanna, though today's version was decorated with tiny sprigs of holly. He was wearing a frilly red apron that she was positive her mother had a duplicate of at home. He wore it over ripped blue jeans and a long-sleeved jersey tee that had seen better days, so the effect wasn't entirely feminine.

"So _domestic_," Kagome cooed. "It smells wonderful in here, Kouga!"

"Thanks," he replied with a grin. "I've been in here baking for this damn party all afternoon. Here, come have a taste of these and tell me if they're any good."

Kouga held out a gingerbread man for Kagome to taste and she came closer, biting the cookie without taking it from him. Kouga's breath caught as he watched plump red lips close around the poor gingerbread man's head, her tongue darting out to catch any stray crumbs. When she moaned her satisfaction, he had to stop himself from closing his eyes and imagining other situations in which he could make her moan.

"So it's good, then?" he asked, his voice coming out slightly more strangled than he would have preferred.

"Fantastic!" Kagome sang. "Is there anything you can't do? Throw parties, flower arranging, baking… you should come work for me!"

"Eh," Kouga laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I like working for Ayame, and I don't know if you'd have a place for me. But how about this? _You _can work for _me_ by helping decorate the gingerbread house, now that I know it's worth of consumption."

"I'd _love_ to help you decorate the gingerbread house!" Kagome glanced over at the monstrosity displayed proudly on his kitchen table. "I take it that's the _piece de resistance_?"

"You got it, babe!" Kouga chuckled, leading her over to the gumdrops and frosting. "Let's start with the trim."

"You got it, babe!" Kagome grinned, tossing Kouga a wink before diving into the mound of goodies.

_God, I wish she was single,_ he thought.

* * *

><p>"Dude, while she's occupied, I gotta ask you somethin'."<p>

"Inuyasha, my name is not _dude_; therefore, I fail to understand why you persist in addressing me as such."

"Keh!" Inuyasha growled, rolling his eyes. "This is serious. I wanna know what the hell game you think you're playin' with Kagome."

"Game?" Sesshoumaru wondered. "I am playing no game. I thought you understood that I was serious about her."

"If you're so serious, then why the hell haven't you told her about what you're doing with Four Souls?" Inuyasha spat, too loudly. Sesshoumaru glowered at his tone, a silent warning to keep quiet.

"Because it is not the right time for me to tell her. Besides, if I do, everything I have worked for will fail, you know that as well as I do."

"Yeah, maybe. But if she finds out… dude, she is gonna be pissed. Way more pissed than if you just tell her."

Sesshoumaru imperceptibly narrowed his eyes. "_Do not_ call me _dude_. And I cannot tell her yet. She will find out when she needs to know. No sooner."

Inuyasha heaved a frustrated sigh and made to leave. There was no use trying to talk Sesshoumaru into something once his mind was made up. It could be one of his best or worst qualities, depending on the decision. At the moment, Inuyasha was leaning toward worst.

"Whatever, man. I'm gonna see what's keepin' her. That stupid wolf shouldn't left alone too long."

"My name is not _man_ either, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru scolded as Inuyasha sauntered to the kitchen.

"Shove it, ass face," Inuyasha called over his shoulder. "How's that for a nickname?"

* * *

><p>Kouga leaned next to Kagome, surreptitiously smelling her hair as he placed a gumdrop on the roof over her shoulder.<p>

"You do beautiful decoration, Kagome," he praised.

Kagome giggled. "I hardly think sticking red hots around a window pane can be considered art, Kouga."

Kouga grinned and was about to lean in to see if her neck smelled as good as her hair when he was unexpectedly interrupted by his most irritating guest.

"Hitting on other demon's girls, wolf shit?" Inuyasha drawled from the doorway.

Kouga jumped as if burned and backed quickly away from Kagome, flushing brightly. He gathered his composure and shot back, "Like you haven't thought about it," noticing the way Inuyasha eyed Kagome appreciatively as she stuck another gumdrop on the gingerbread house, this time on the front lawn.

"Keh," Inuyasha spat, a blush creeping up his cheekbones. Kagome just looked confused.

"What?" she asked, blinking prettily.

"Nevermind," Inuyasha assured her quickly, standing behind her and resting his hands on her shoulders. "So, Kouga," he taunted, "you finish sewing that apron before or after you got your period?"

"Inu_yasha_!" Kagome admonished as an angry flush tinted Kouga's pointed ears.

"_Shut it_, mutt face," he growled, looking ready to throw propriety and caution to the wind and demand a duel right in the middle of his kitchen.

"Leave him alone," Kagome scolded, shaking her finger at the ornery hanyou. "As every good cook knows, an apron is a necessity. We wouldn't want Kouga—who, by the way, _slaved_ over all those treats you were stuffing your face with earlier—to dirty his clothes making goodies for the rest of us."

Kagome straightened her back and glared at the two youkai, as if daring them to argue with her. "There is absolutely nothing shameful in a male of _any species_ engaging in any kind of domestic activity," she told them primly.

"Keh! You're only saying that 'cause my brother, the _boyfriend_,"—he said "boyfriend" as if it were a dirty word—"has just about the most feminine job on the planet," Inuyasha scoffed. "I mean, seriously, if it were _me _in his position, I'd probably take one of the ceremonial swords on the wall in my dad's office and run it through my—"

"If you value your existence, I would recommend not finishing that sentence, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru purred, drawing up behind him in a manner that could only be considered threatening.

Inuyasha scowled, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Shesshoumaru sauntered behind Kagome, steering clear of her sugar-coated hands, and smirked at Kouga.

"You look fetching, Kouga. Red is a good color on you."

Kouga growled low in his throat and resisted the urge to murder both meddling inu brothers and steal Kagome for himself. Those two pricks didn't deserve her anyway.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome trilled, excited to show off their work, "look what Kouga and I did! You want to help us finish decorating?"

Inuyasha hid his smirk behind his hand and Sesshoumaru tried not to look pained. It was bad enough that he was working as an intern at a party planning company and that Inuyasha taunted him about it every available second. Decorating a gingerbread house would just be the icing on the cake (figuratively and literally). He was about to decline, but Kagome looked so hopeful that he couldn't find it in him. He sighed and pulled up a chair.

"What do I need to do?"

Kagome squealed and launched into her master plan for the mansion, showing him how to alternate between gumdrops and snow caps for the roof trim and how to hang the candy canes just so.

Kouga and Inuyasha watched with scowls on their faces as Sesshoumaru scooted closer to Kagome, lightly touching her thigh with his leg and brushing against her arm as they worked.

"You know," Inuyasha rumbled, "even if he is doing just about the girliest thing on the planet"—here, Kouga growled—"I can't help but feel he's somehow won the man contest."

Kouga agreed. "Damn stupid taiyoukai and their gorgeous girlfriends, with all their aloof charm and mysterious inapproachability. The rest of us never even stood a chance."

Inuyasha sighed wistfully at the picture they made and reluctantly admitted that the wolf was right.**  
><strong>


	18. Season for Giving

__Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

_words: 415; prompt: Bells Ring, Christmas Challenge Dokuga_contest; rating: K_

* * *

><p><strong>December 18—Season for Giving<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 7)_

"I _love_ this time of year," Kagome sighed happily at the sound of bells ringing at the corner of the downtown shopping district.

"Hnn…" Sesshoumaru scowled, hoisting Kagome's many purchases higher, vainly praying he didn't look too foolish carting around all her boxes and bags of Christmas gifts. "Must they persist with that infernal ringing?" His ears felt like they were on fire.

"It's for giving," Kagome explained. "You know, to donate money for the less fortunate."

"I understand the concept," Sesshoumaru intoned dryly. "I simply do not understand why they must draw attention to themselves in the most annoying manner conceivable."

"Oh, don't get in a snit," Kagome reprimanded. " 'Tis the season!"

"It's time's like this I wish I was an elemental," the taiyoukai muttered. "Then I could forcibly _change_ the season, and we wouldn't have to listen to any of that obnoxious holiday drivel or that_ awful ringing_."

They were walking right next to the bell ringer, and he glowered menacingly at the woman as they passed. She looked so startled that she momentarily stopped clanging her bell. Sesshoumaru's eardrums rejoiced at the reprieve, but once they had walked another three feet, the woman regained her wits and resumed. Sesshoumaru winced.

Kagome stopped suddenly in front of him and Sesshoumaru had to employ his impressive reflexes to avoid a spill. He pursed his lips in annoyance at her, but she ignored him.

"Why are you so grumpy?" she wondered, staring up at him with a pleading expression. "I know that maybe this isn't your favorite time of year, but I thought you could at least have a little fun spending some time with me." She sounded on the verge of tears.

"Kagome…" Sesshoumaru sighed, "I _do _enjoy spending time with you. You're the only thing that makes this season tolerable for me. Normally the sounds, smells, sights… all of it just grates on my nerves. Usually I spend it cooped up inside. Believe me when I say that you've already worked wonders on my attitude toward Christmas."

"Truly?" she asked hopefully, a tremulous smile lighting her face. "I make it better?"

Sesshoumaru smiled a small, knowing smile and leaned around the bags to give Kagome a peck on the cheek. "You make _everything_ better, my love."

Kagome flushed and her tentative smile bloomed into a full one. She looked happier than he had ever seen her. "Then let's spend _every _holiday together from now on," she offered.

He couldn't have agreed more.


	19. Slight Adjustment

__Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

_words:100; prompt: Hot Chocolate, Christmas Challenge Dokuga_contest; rating: K_

* * *

><p><strong>December 19—Slight Adjustment<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 6)_

In a fit of pique, Shippou gleefully informed him that Kagome couldn't stand the sludge he called coffee, that he might as well not bother. The taiyoukai was momentarily put off, but clandestine research yielded the results he needed.

"Your mid-morning drink, Miss Higurashi," he presented, somewhat later than usual.

"We're back to surnames, are we?" she joked, accepting the beverage.

She steeled herself, expecting nerve-jangling joe; what she got was considerably less abrasive.

"Hot chocolate?" she asked, pleasantly surprised.

"A slight adjustment," he explained. "Sweets for the sweet."

Her smile alone made it worth the blow to his pride.


	20. Getting into the Spirit

_Inuyasha_ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 2,115; prompt: Jingle All the Way, Christmas Challenge Dokuga_contest; rating: T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 20—Getting into the Spirit<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 5)_

"Okay, here's the way the game works," Miroku announced, gathering them around his small desk.

It was after 5:00, but the staff at Four Souls Party Planning was still hard at work preparing for one more holiday get-together before the actual arrival of Christmas. Most offices would stay open until the end of the week, but Kagome had declared that after the last party of the season tomorrow afternoon, they would be free to take a short Christmas vacation.

Though she acknowledged that it might be a bit selfish, the time off would be most helpful for Kagome herself. The shrine her family owned would be preparing for the New Year's Day festival soon, and with only her brother and mama to help her aging grandfather prepare for the event, they would need all the help she could give.

And so, they were all staying late at the office to finish last-minute preparations for tomorrow's party. It was for a prominent women's club, a group full of society matrons and their daughters who were well-known for their charity work, but in reality spent most of their time gossipping and snubbing those beneath their financial and social standards. Kagome was shocked they had chosen her to plan their ever-important Christmas party, the last big event of the year, but apparently word of her success with the Takahashi extravaganza had gotten around, and so here they were, planning yet another last-minute soiree for society's elite.

It was so much trouble, she decided this was the last time they would accept such a rushed request. If they truly respected her work, they could respect her enough to book her services in advance.

"We turn on the radio," Miroku continued, "and every time some variation of the song 'Jingle Bells' is played, we all have to take a shot." At this, he pulled two large bottles of _sake_ and five cups from the depths of his desk, jiggling them so they clinked merrily.

"How long have you been planning this?" Sango asked skeptically, eyeing the cups with disdain.

Miroku smirked. "Since before the Takahashi party, but I never got a chance then. I figure now is as good a time as any."

Shippou raised an eyebrow. "This game doesn't make sense. There's no winner or loser; it's not like the last person to yell 'jingle bells' when the song comes on has to drink. It seems like it's just a way to get us all smashed."

The smirk stayed firmly planted on his lips. "Precisely, my friend. You see the appeal."

Shippou rolled his eyes and Sango looked wary, but Kagome announced, "I think it sounds like fun. It's not like what we have a lot of thought-intensive work left, and maybe this is just what we need." She smiled in delight and pulled a glass over for herself.

Sango pursed her lips. "But Kagome, you know that you can't hold your liquor. You won't be able to drive home."

Kagome waved off her concern, but Sesshoumaru, who had been oddly silent considering the nature of the game, offered, "I'll take her home. I can't get drunk."

Miroku and Sango looked both shocked and aghast at this revelation, but Shippou snorted. "You can _get_ drunk, it would just take a hell of a lot more than two bottles of _sake_ to get it done."

Sesshoumaru frowned in distaste. "And since, _kitsune_, that is all we have, I cannot get drunk."

Shippou looked about to retaliate when Miroku piped up, "I would be _more_ _than_ _happy_ to run _all_ _the_ _way_ to the store and get enough alcohol to make sure the two demons of the bunch can get just as sloshed as the rest of us. It's Christmas! Everyone deserves to get into the _spirit_."

He chortled gleefully at his own joke until Sango smacked him on the head with a stack of papers she was carrying over to her desk. "You're _hopeless_," she opined, but Miroku merely grinned.

"Hopelessly in _love _with you, my dear," he quipped.

A faint blush stole up Sango's cheeks, and she looked upset when she answered, "Stop it. You're acting like you've had a few already, you lech. I'm not one of your bimbos."

Miroku frowned, but Sango had already moved over to her desk in the corner and proceeded to sequester herself in a sea of numbers.

Kagome sidled up to him and whispered, "Nevermind, Miroku. She'll come around once she has some booze in her." She flashed him a charming grin that made Miroku think everything would be fine, and that made Sesshoumaru simultaneously weak in the knees and jealous that it wasn't directed at him.

Miroku clapped his hands twice to bring attention back to him and then casually flicked on the radio. The dulcet tones of "Frosty the Snowman" were being crooned over the airwaves and Sesshoumaru grimaced. Miroku poured them each a cup of _sake_, setting Sango's on the very edge of her desk and firmly avoiding the dirty look she gave him. They all settled in to work, Sango remaining at her desk but the rest of them grabbing papers, pens, laptops, and menus and settling into a semi-circle on the floor.

It only took three songs before the first rendition of "Jingle Bells" was played. They all grabbed their glasses (some more enthusiastically than others) and shouted (or muttered) _kanpai_! before downing it in one gulp.

By the end of the first hour, some version of the carol had been played three times, including a purely instrumental one that Miroku and Kagome insisted counted, and Sango had joined them on the floor, her cheeks pleasantly flushed.

At the second hour, Sesshoumaru regretted not forcing the humans to eat something before they started their game. By now, judging from the way Sango was hanging off of Miroku and how Kagome was giggling at the way her toes looked while encased in sheer stockings, it was too late to introduce anything that would soak up some of the alcohol. Shippou seemed bored, flipping half-heartedly through menus, and Sesshoumaru was wondering how they were ever going to finish that _night_, let alone at a reasonable hour.

By the third hour, they were singing the verses loudly whenever the song played, practically shouting the "jingle all the way" and "one-horse open sleigh" lines of the chorus. It made Sesshoumaru's head hurt. He thought this was unfair, as it was certainly not alcohol induced, which would have been much more fun than watching his friends get drunk without him.

When they started dabbling with the rice wine even when a song wasn't playing and Miroku pulled another bottle seemingly out of nowhere, Sesshoumaru figured enough was enough. Miroku poured another round, which Sesshoumaru was narrowly too late to stop Kagome from drinking, before he took the bottle away, capping it and stacking the cups neatly in the kitchenette sink.

The fact that they were so drunk none of them even protested only cemented in his mind the necessity of cutting them off. Shippou (reluctantly) helped him cart the three outside, only pausing to make sure the door was locked and that Sango and Kagome had their bags.

Sesshoumaru entrusted Shippou with the task of making sure Miroku and Sango got home safely and without getting impregnated or other such nonsense. Sesshoumaru stuffed Kagome into his car, bundled her up, and drove her home. She slept for most of the car ride, but she woke as he was opening her door.

She gazed up at him with sleepy eyes, and once it registered who he was she gave him a brilliant smile that made his heart melt.

"Come on, you," he told her softly, reaching over to unbuckle her seatbelt. He was just leaning back out of the car when she reached forward and sniffed the side of his neck, breathing deeply and then letting out a contented sigh. Sesshoumaru paused, torn between sudden, unbearable lust and knowing that this was most definitely a situation where he needed to be a gentleman and bring her inside unmolested.

Taking a deep, fortifying breath, he helped her out of the car after careefully disentangling her arms from his neck.

"Up we go," he mumbled, hauling her along and desperately trying to ignore her drunken giggles and the way she kept caressing his chest and biceps. She stumbled on the fourth step up to her apartment, so in one swift move, Sesshoumaru swept her up and put her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, hefting her surprisingly heavy bag with the other hand. As he walked the rest of the way to her door, Kagome laughed and swatted his ass with her hands.

"You have the kee-yootest butt!" she exclaimed, laughing at her own wit. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and stopped at her door, wondering if she had stowed her keys in her coat pocket or her purse. He struggled to open her bag and search for the keys with one hand, but finally had to set her down to dig through it properly.

Kagome wobbled against him and looked dreamily up into his eyes. "I _love _you," she slurred, kissing him sloppily on the side of his neck. Sesshoumaru groaned at the feeling of her warm, wet tongue and tried in vain to focus on his search for her keys.

Moving closer and pressing her breasts into his chest, Kagome began kissing her way up to his ear, pulling the lobe into his mouth and sucking sensually, making his mind go completely blank.

Her warm breath was caressing the shell of his ear when his fingers finally closed on the cool metal of her keys, deep in the bottom of her purse. He breathed a mental sigh of relief and pulled them out, gently moving Kagome so he could open her door. She stared at him hungrily until he ushered her inside.

He set her purse on the counter, lifted her onto the stool beside the high kitchen bar, and bent to unbuckle her shoes. She giggled when the tips of his fingers brushed against her toes, but arched sensually and moaned when his hands ran up her calf to steady her so he could remove the other heel.

Sesshoumaru's groin tightened and he almost growled in frustration. The woman was being more forward than he had ever seen her, and in any other circumstance, he would be a completely willing participant. He refused to take advantage of her while she was drunk though, and he wanted their first time to be something she actually remember in the morning.

He stood up to help her to the bedroom, but shivered when she wrapped her ams around him and began kissing and licking his neck in earnest.

"Kagome," he grunted, trying to keep himself in control, "please stop. We shouldn't be doing this, not while you're drunk."

"Drunk _shmunk_," she dismissed, laughing and kissing up the side of his face to his mouth. Sesshoumaru groaned at the taste of her, sweet with _sake_ and a heady flavor that was pure Kagome. She nibbled and licked at his lips, chuckling against his mouth before sweeping in with her warm tongue.

His senses were being completely assaulted. He had never before let a woman take such complete control of a kiss, but if she was this amazing at dominating his mouth, he couldn't imagine what she could do with the rest of him.

He knew he should stop her immediately; the longer he waited, the more likely things were to get out of hand. But she felt so wonderful, and the relationship was so new, and hell, he may have been a demon but he was still pure _male_. Sesshoumaru was well-known for his near-limitless self-control. But everybody has their limit, and it seemed his was Kagome.

He lifted her against his chest, not breaking contact with her glorious mouth, and carried her to her bedroom. He set her on the bed, steeled his will, and pulled away. She whimpered, almost breaking his resolve, but he laid her down and pecked her lightly on those sweet, sweet lips before moving away completely. He would have considered helping her change, but then he knew there was no way he'd ever leave.

"Go to sleep, Kagome," he said quietly from the door. She didn't respond, and upon closer inspection, he saw that she was already breathing deeply, a slight smile on her face. She murmured something and snuggled deeper into her pillow.

Sesshoumaru sighed, stamped down the almost desperate urge to crawl into bed next to her just to hold her close, and closed the door behind him.


	21. Secrets, Secrets Hurt Someone

__Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

_words: 3,342; prompt: Flakes Flutter, Christmas Challenge Dokuga_contest; rating: K+_

* * *

><p><strong>December 21—Secrets, Secrets Hurt Someone<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 4)_

Kagome laughed gaily at the joke Inuyasha had just told and shifted her bags. The first flakes of snow were just starting to drift down from an overcast sky and their breath made little puffs of condensation in the cool air.

"Shall we go in here before we call it a night?" she asked, gesturing toward the small sweet shoppe on the corner. "We could get a coffee or something."

Inuyasha gave her an amused grin, eyeing the way her purchases kept slipping down her arms. "I'm not sure we could get you through the door," he teased.

"Oh, stop," Kagome smiled, shoving her way through the shop's entrance. Inuyasha followed her to a table and helped unburden her.

"What do you want, I'll get it," he offered, grinning as she attempted to yank off a particularly stubborn package that was twisted around her purse.

"Just a coffee is fine," she replied. "Just a touch of cream and two sugars, please," she added.

Inuyasha sauntered up to the counter and proceeded to flirt with the barista, complimenting her outrageously as she made their drinks. He flashed her a saucy wink before bringing the beverages back to the their table, smirking when Kagome cocked an eyebrow at his behavior.

"So," he asked, setting her coffee in front of her and sitting in the seat opposite. "What have you been up to lately?"

"Oh, nothing much since you last saw me," Kagome dismissed, taking an appreciative sip. "We had our last job today before Christmas—a truly awful society matron hooplah, let me tell you—and I've given everyone the rest of the week off."

"Is that why you finally have time to shop for presents?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"Mostly. Thanks for helping me find something for Sesshoumaru. I wasn't sure what to get him since he never seems to buy anything for himself."

"Yeah... it's hard to buy for the guy who has everything... though I think he'll like what you got him," Inuyasha mused.

"Well, I hope so," Kagome smiled. "What does your family do for the holidays, then? Anything special?"

"Why," Inuyasha smirked, "planning somethin' special with the boyfriend for Christmas? Maybe a special... _event_?"

Kagome blushed at the insinuation. "_That_ is absolutely none of your business," she scolded. "And besides, I always spend Christmas day with my family. I rarely see them during December because of how busy we are, so I always set aside Christmas and New Year's for them."

"You don't do New Year's parties?" Inuyasha wondered, surprised.

"Well, last year we got requests for them, but I turned them down. We encourage shrine visits instead, which is what most people do anyway. My family owns a shrine, so I send people there, and we announce local shrines and events on our website. It's not a big deal to take that one holiday off."

"I suppose," Inuyasha agreed.

They sipped their drinks in silent companionship for several minutes before Kagome ventured, "Tell me a bit about you and your family, Inuyasha. I don't know much about you."

"Well, I grew up in Tokyo with my dad and mom and Sesshoumaru. Sessh and I didn't get along great as kids—still don't, really, but we're better than we used to be—and he wasn't always around 'cause he would switch every two weeks living with my parents and his mom."

"They divorced before you were born?"

"Eh heh," Inuyasha breathed nervously, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "Not exactly. Dad had an affair with my mom and when Harumi found out that mom was pregnant with me, she left dad. They got divorced a couple years after that—somethin' about money made it take awhile—and then dad married my mom. But divorce is a human thing, so it was more complicated than a paper separation. Sesshoumaru's mom and dad were mates, and he basically broke a bond. Demon bonds are a lot more permanent than human ones, so..." Inuyasha trailed off and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, to say the least, Harumi's never been on great terms with us, and it sorta messed with my relationship with Sessh for a long time."

"I can imagine," Kagome muttered.

"Don't tell him I told you," Inuyasha said quickly. "He doesn't like to talk about his mom, and I'm sure he'll tell you his side of the story when he's ready. He'd be pissed if he knew I spilled the beans."

Kagome flashed a bemused smile, but agreed readily not to let Sesshoumaru know Inuyasha was airing out the family closets.

"Let's talk about something happier," Kagome suggested. "What kind of work do you do?"

"Well, you already know that I work with dad, and my family owns a venture—" Inuyasha cut himself off, eyes widening comically. "OH no!" he spat. "You're not getting it out of me that easily!"

Kagome smirked. "Venture, venture... venture capital?" she mused. "Your family owns a venture capital business, don't they?"

Shock registered on Inuyasha's face and his eyes took on a sheen of terror. "Do _not_ tell Sesshoumaru that I let that slip. He will kill me."

"We're keeping an awful lot of secrets from your brother," Kagome said airily, still smiling. The tense look didn't leave Inuyasha's face and she sighed. "Don't worry, I won't say anything. I'm not even sure what the big deal is. I don't care that your family owns a venture capital business."

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief and Kagome continued, "I mean, it's not as thought there's a conflict of interest and your family's company invested in our start-up costs..." Kagome stopped as she noticed the expression of horror that had taken ahold of Inuyasha. "Wait a minute," she said slowly, the truth beginning to dawn on her.

Inuyasha winced.

"_Wait_," Kagome said again. "That's it, isn't it. That's why he doesn't want me to know! _Your_ company is _my_ company's investor, isn't it! _Isn't_ _it_!"

"I really can't say," Inuyasha admitted in a pained voice. Sesshoumaru was going to _murder_ him.

"Oh yes you can," Kagome argued. "What is the name of your family's company, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha steeled his resolve and clamped his mouth shut. He was determined not to give away more than he already had. She could do her own research and figure it out; he would not be responsible for blowing the secret that could very well destroy his brother's relationship. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, he had always been exceptionally awful at keeping secrets from pretty girls.

"What is the name of the company, Inuyasha?" Kagome demanded, eyes flashing. "So help me, you tell me what it is, or I'll... I'll... I'll tell Sesshoumaru you copped a feel!"

"What!" Inuyasha yelped. "But I didn't!"

Kagome smiled a very slow, very naughty sort of smile. "You know that, and I know that. But who do you think Sesshoumaru's going to believe, hmm?"

"You are _Satan_," Inuyasha spat. "Fine, you conniving, evil genius, it's West Capital Management."

Kagome gasped, sufficiently scandalized. "I didn't actually think your family invested in our company!" she shrieked, effectively bringing all conversation in the small shop to a stand-still. "What the _hell_, Inuyasha! Why on earth did no one tell me this earlier? This isn't a joke!"

Inuyasha fluttered his hands furiously, trying in vain to get Kagome to quiet down. "_Shhh_," he hissed. "Stop freaking out. I'll explain everything if you just calm down."

"No!" Kagome shouted. "No, I will not calm down! Why the hell did no one tell me? Any why is Sesshoumaru _interning_ at a company that he effectively owns!"

"Kagome, _please_," Inuyasha begged. She ignored him, gripping her coffee cup so tightly that the hot liquid splashed onto her hand and burned her, leaving an angry red mark.

"Tell. Me. NOW," she threatened, looking fit to kill. Inuyasha gulped nervously.

"Fine. Fine, but not _here_." He stood and gathered her bags, shooting the barista an apologetic half-smile before leaving the shop, Kagome stalking angrily behind him. They walked several blocks to where his car was parked , both too absorbed in their own thoughts to pay much attention to the snow that was quickly accumulating on the sidewalk and streets.

When they reached Inuyasha's car, Kagome tapped her foot impatiently on the curb while he stowed her bags in the trunk. When he opened the door for her, Kagome flung herself into the car, crossing her arms and huffing and snorting as Inuyasha took his time joining her. When he was finally situated, she spat, "Explain."

Inuyasha sighed and covered his face with his hands. He didn't know who would wind up killing him first, Kagome or Sesshoumaru. He was betting on Kagome due to proximity, which was probably lucky, because if Sesshoumaru got to him first, there wouldn't be enough of him left to scrape off the pavement.

"My family owns West Capital Management. Up until about four months ago, Sesshoumaru was the vice president and my dad, president and CEO. Sesshoumaru had been slated to take over the presidency for years, but just as dad was ready to retire and Sessh planning his takeover, dad announced that he wasn't ready and wouldn't hand over the position.

"According to him, Sesshoumaru wouldn't be able to be successful because he was too far removed from normal people to accurately predict the success of a business. I mean, he did real well with investing in large companies, but he almost never took chances on small companies. Dad needed him to diversify to be president. Well, of course, my stubborn idiot of a brother takes the challenge to heart, and literally starts investing in _only_ small businesses. That was probably about two years ago."

"Wait," Kagome interrupted. "That's within the time you guys invested in Four Souls. Are you telling me, it wasn't just the decision of the board or your dad, but Sesshoumaru himself who made the decision to invest in our company?"

Inuyasha grimaced. "Probably. When did you start your company?"

"In August, about a year and a half ago."

"Well, it could have been someone else, I suppose, but I wasn't acquiring any companies then, and Sesshoumaru has almost exclusively acquired the small investments since then, so…"

"So it was him," Kagome assessed sullenly. "I suppose you all think this is some big joke, to have him infiltrate our working environment as an innocent intern, investigating our inner workings so you can pull the plug without remorse or something. Well, let me tell you something, Inuyasha Saiga," she shouted. "I absolutely will not let that happen!" she shouted. "I'll buy the whole damned company myself if I have to!"

"No!" Inuyasha protested. "That's not… that's not what happened. I mean, no one is going to shut down Four Souls. In fact, if that happened, I imagine Sessh would be pretty pissed, since that's sort of the opposite of what he's trying to do."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Well, see, after a few years of finding out that he was actually good—_really_ good—at investing in small companies, he decided he didn't want to take over for dad anymore. Not only had he discovered several successful start-ups, he actually helped save a lot of local businesses from bankruptcy. He developed quite a name for himself among the businesses he saved. Ayame's and Seven Brothers were both companies he saved, actually."

"But if he was so successful, how does not wanting the presidency make any sense?" Kagome wondered angrily.

"Well, he figured that he was so good, and had made so much money, that he just wanted to start his own company. Independence or something, I dunno. Anyway, he told dad that was his plan, and dad _laughed _at him. And I think you've known Sesshoumaru long enough to know that you just don't laugh at him."

Kagome smirked despite herself. "True enough. But why was it such a far-fetched idea?"

"Well, it's not like Sesshoumaru could have had the companies he saved switch investors—officially West Capital Management owns them. In order to keep his clients, Sesshoumaru would have to be so successful that he could _buy_ the companies out from under dad's nose."

"Wait. You're telling me that Sesshoumaru had—_has_—the chance to inherit the company, and instead he wants to do things the hard way and start his own company and then _buy_ the company he would be in charge of anyway?"

Inuyasha raised his hands defensively. "I never said it made much sense to me. Except right now, our company is so large that it has a board of directors. While he was vice president, Sesshoumaru could basically do what he wanted and let dad take the fall if something went wrong. Being Sessh, it rarely did, but his actions still weren't governed very strongly.

"If he takes the presidency, all that changes. Not to mention, his time would mostly be focused on the large, publicly-owned companies we support. I think he found out that he likes working with small businesses more. He doesn't want to buy dad's _whole _company, just the businesses _he_ acquired. That way he can focus on the type of investments he enjoys without interference and keep profiting from the investments he already made."

"Okay, I get it, but I still don't understand what that has to do with him accepting an internship at a company he invested in. A _tiny_ company he invested in, a new one, with a grand total of four employees."

"I'm getting to that," Inuyasha explained. "You're sort of the unwitting part of a bet."

"A _bet_?" Kagome growled. Inuyasha winced.

"Yeah, well… Dad challenged Sesshoumaru to choose one company that he acquired. A little one that, if it had been anyone else, never would have been invested in. Something destined to fail."

"Destined to _fail_?" Kagome shouted. "You all think we're _destined to fail_?"

"Stop!" Inuyasha interrupted. "No one thinks that. I'm saying that dad wouldn't have invested in you on his own, but Sesshoumaru did, and he _believes in you_. Would you just let me finish?"

Kagome huffed, but fluttered her hand in acceptance.

"Dad bet him that if Sessh could ensure this company did well, despite all the odds against them—and you have to admit that in this city, they were against you—or prove to dad that it was a sound investment in the first place, he'd accept that Sessh is ready to start his own company. And if he succeeded, as a concession, since Sesshoumaru was the one who single-handedly acquired all the small companies in the first place, Dad will _give him_ all the companies he originally acquired.

"So Sesshoumaru chose you. And before you ask, this was based on several factors, not the least of which is that your company is tiny and unassuming and that he had a major crush on you from the minute he laid eyes on you. But instead of just pumping money in or monitoring your daily activities, he decided to quit his job at West and join your team. So that's where you are now," Inuyasha finished lamely.

Kagome was gobsmacked for several moments as she absorbed this information. Inuyasha opened his mouth to ask her something, but she silenced him with a finger. "Just… just give me a minute to process this," she told him, her mouth set into a firm line.

Finally, Kagome said, "I have a question. What happens if he loses the bet?"

"Well, he has to take the presidency, I guess. I wasn't there when they made the bet, so I actually have no idea."

"Hmm," Kagome muttered. "Okay, then, what constitutes a company succeeding or failing? I mean, something like that could take years to determine."

"Oh yeah. They set a time limit. Six months. Sesshoumaru has six months for the company he chose to turn a profit."

"But we're only a year and half old! There's no way we can turn a profit in such a short amount of time!"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't know what your financials look like, so I have no idea if it's possible. But he has four more months to do it. And in case you hadn't noticed, Sesshoumaru does pretty much whatever he sets his mind to."

"So you're basically telling me that I've been employing a man who owns my company as my errand boy, and I'm _dating_ my investor," Kagome mumbled sullenly.

"That's about the size of it, yeah," Inuyasha agreed reluctantly.

"I'm going to kill him," Kagome said casually, the tone of her voice belying her rage.

"No!" Inuyasha yelped. "You promised you wouldn't say anything if I told you. And if you kill him, he'll kill _me_."

"Fine then," Kagome conceded. "You can be the one to explain to him why I'm breaking up with him."

"What?" Inuyasha shouted, but Kagome was already halfway out the door. "Wait! You can't break up with him over this! And I certainly can't tell him!" he whined.

"I can and I will. He lied to me, and at this point, it's a matter of ethics. I have no intention of dating your brother while he's in the middle of a sordid bet with your father over the state of their company, which apparently hinges on the success of mine. For that matter, he no longer works for me either. He can figure out a way to win his stupid wager on his own."

"Kagome, please don't do this," Inuyasha admonished as she began to shut the door. She whipped toward him and he cringed at the sight of her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"You should have been saying that to your brother months ago, Inuyasha. Don't ask me to sacrifice my principles to play your brother's stupid games. I don't know when he was planning on telling me, if he was planning on telling me at all, but I'm not like him. I don't purposefully hurt those I love!"

"Then don't break up with him!" Inuyasha begged.

"And how do you think the rest of my employees will feel when they find out they've been played for fools? I will not let them continue to be unwitting participants in this, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru can just find another way to meet his goals, because I am _done_."

"Kagome, _please_."

The tears that had been threatening to spill finally slid over her cheeks. "It's over, Inuyasha. If he really wanted a chance with me, he should have told me his intentions from the beginning instead of pretending to be something he wasn't. The man I fell in love with was just a shy intern, someone trying to turn his life around and start new in a field he loved. Not a philanthropist so bent on making money and meeting his _quota_ that he'd throw anyone under the bus and date the owner of one of his investments to do it. And it has become painfully clear that that's all I am to him—an investment."

"It's not like that!" Inuyasha entreated. "He really loves you! This isn't just a game to him."

"Then _why _all the lies, Inuyasha?" Kagome practically screamed, crying openly now. "Why not just tell me from the beginning what was going on? Why hide all his plans and keep so many secrets that I don't know what's real and what's not anymore?"

"I… I don't know," Inuyasha admitted quietly.

"Goodbye, Inuyasha."

"No, Kagome, _wait_!" But Kagome had already slammed the door and was running down the sidewalk, ignoring the fact that all her presents were still stored in Inuyasha's trunk. Inuyasha leapt out of the car, fully intent on following her and dragging her back with him, on _making _her understand.

He jogged in the direction she had gone, squinting through the snow to try and find her. She must have ducked into an alleyway or around a corner, though, because he couldn't scent her anymore in the coming storm, and in the swirling snow, she was lost.


	22. Captive Audience

_Inuyasha_ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 600; prompt: none; rating: K_

* * *

><p><strong>December 22—Captive Audience<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 3)_

Sesshoumaru paced impatiently in his living room, tossing his phone a dirty look before picking it up from where he had flung it on the couch and dialing her number again. It went straight to voicemail for the fifteenth time in a row, and this time he didn't bother leaving a message.

Seething with unchecked rage, Sesshoumaru stared at the phone in his palm before suddenly clenching his hand and cracking it cleanly down the middle. The phone sparked once before snapping in two, and Sesshoumaru let it fall unceremoniously to the floor before resuming his pacing.

"It's not the phone's fault, you know," Inuyasha piped up from the kitchen.

Sesshoumaru leveled him with a deadly glare, his eyes narrowing and his jaw ticking ever so slightly. "You do not want to remind me whose fault this is, brother," he warned with deadly calm, making Inuyasha wince.

"It's not like you wouldn't have taken it out on me no matter what," Inuyasha muttered sullenly.

"Hn," Sesshoumaru grunted, turning his back on the hanyou and continuing his back and forth tread.

It was silent for several minutes, the room's inhabitants each occupied by their own morose thoughts, before Inuyasha finally dared to venture, "Will you untie me now?"

Sesshoumaru stared at him with a nondescript expression before going back to the very productive preoccupation of wearing a hole in his carpet.

Inuyasha sighed deeply and wiggled his wrists, once again testing the strength of the knot holding his hands to the back of the chair.

The rope didn't budge.

It was several more moments before Inuyasha asked again, "Are you _ever_ going to untie me?"

"I will untie you when Kagome resumes her relationship with me," Sesshoumaru explained matter-of-factly, not even bothering to look up.

"But that could be _never,_" Inuyasha whined petulantly.

Nonplussed, Sesshoumaru replied, "Then you will never be untied."

"Can you at least feed me or something then?"

"There is ramen in the cupboard."

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at his bound hands, and then down at the chair he was tied to. "I can't make ramen without my hands."

"Then I guess you can't eat."

Inuyasha muttered a few choice expletives under his breath, knowing perfectly well that Sesshoumaru could hear every word. "What if I have to go to the bathroom?" he ventured.

Sesshoumaru finally stopped his pacing at this, staring at Inuyasha as if he had grown a second head. "Are you seriously asking me to help you _relieve_ yourself?" he wondered, thoroughly disgusted.

"Ugh, no!" Inuyasha shouted, a shiver of horror skittering down his spine. "But I need to know if you'll untie me when I gotta... you know."

Sesshoumaru blinked. "Inuyasha, if you soil any part of my house, and that includes any and all surfaces to which you are currently restrained, with your waste, the punishment in store for you will increase tenfold."

"Dude, you can't do this to me! Haven't I suffered enough?" Inuyasha wailed, the chair jerking with each exclamation.

"Inuyasha, this lifetime is not enough to contain the suffering in store for you if this situation is not remedied."

Inuyasha shivered again, and this time it was from fear. "How am I supposed to help you fix this if I'm being held captive in your kitchen?"

"I suggest you begin brainstorming," Sessoumaru drawled, pulling on his coat. "If you don't have any ideas by the time I return, I will tie the chair to the refrigerator."

The taiyoukai swept out of the apartment and Inuyasha groaned, wishing he could bury his face in his hands. "I am so screwed."


	23. Saint Richard

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 300; prompt: none; rating: K_

* * *

><p><strong>December 23—Saint Richard<strong>

_(Days until Christmas: 2)_

"Men are scum," Sango asserted, propping her feet on the back of her couch and grabbing a handful of extra-buttery popcorn from the bowl on the floor.

"Sesshoumaru's not a man," Kagome reminded her, securing her blanket tighter around her shoulders and taking a sip of cocoa.

"Yes, but he might as well be," Sango sighed over the phone, crunching loudly on her popcorn, and Kagome silently agreed.

Kagome had resolved not to tell the rest of her employees about Sesshoumaru's duplicity, opting instead to let them know that he had accepted another job offer and had to suddenly leave. She had lasted three hours before she had called Sango sobbing. They were currently rehashing the same conversation they had had every day since, Sango elaborating on her list of reasons why all males were the scourge of the earth.

"I just can't believe he wouldn't _tell_ me!" Kagome ranted. "I mean, if I had just known from the beginning, maybe it wouldn't have seemed like that big a deal."

"It might not have seemed like a big deal that your investors were wagering bets of how best to add to their already obscene coffers based on your livelihood?"

"Oh, come on now..." Kagome demurred. "Sesshoumaru's not _that_—"

"Don't you speak that traitor's name!" Sango interrupted. It was so odd and so sudden that Kagome almost laughed.

"What should I call him then?"

"In the spirit of the Christmas season, we shall call him Saint Richard."

"... What?"

"Saint. Richard," Sango repeated.

"Don't you mean Saint Nicholas?"

"I most certainly do _not_." Sango sounded positively scandalized.

"Then I'm really not sure I—"

Kagome could hear her friend's grin over the phone. "Just call him Dick for short."

Kagome burst out laughing, feeling better than she had in days.


	24. The Explanation

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 2,741; prompt: none; rating: T_

* * *

><p><strong>December 24—The Explanation<strong>

_(Christmas Eve)_

Kagome propped her head on her arms, listlessly staring over the rim of the bathtub at her mother's green tile floor. Her early escape to her family's shrine had been part obligation, part avoidance. Here, she could almost forget about the dozens of calls she had missed from Sesshoumaru, focusing instead on helping her brother decorate the Christmas tree and baking cookies with her mother. She had shown up on their doorstep three nights ago, dripping wet from the heavy snow, bags stuffed with clothing she had packed haphazardly in her haste to escape her apartment and anywhere that Sesshoumaru might be able to find her.

She sighed, sinking back into the warmth of the water. Her mother had known something was wrong the second she turned up in such a state, but she had so far respected Kagome's privacy and refrained from prying, for which Kagome was grateful. She wasn't quite ready to reveal her tragic love story to her mom; she was half afraid her mother would have advice that Kagome wasn't prepared to hear. Instead, she had spent every night since Inuyasha's revelation rehashing the incident with Sango, who was suitably scandalized.

Kagome thought back to the most recent conversation with Sango and frowned.

"_I told Shippou and Miroku about what happened yesterday," Sango revealed._

"_What did they say?" Kagome wondered, wringing her hands nervously._

"_Well, Shippou was furious; he totally went off. Practically got us thrown out of the coffee shop. Miroku and I had to convince him that trying to murder a taiyoukai is not a sane idea."_

_Kagome just shook her head, grateful for her friend's support, but happy that he wasn't acting on his anger._

"_But Miroku was a little weird," Sango continued._

"_How so?"_

"_Well, I mean, he understood why you're mad, but he thinks you should give Sesshoumaru a chance to explain himself. Honestly! I can't believe he's willing to give that bastard a chance. He was just a screwed over as the rest of us. It figures Miroku would still side with the guy instead of supporting you when you've so obviously been…" _

_Sango kept going, her rant turning from Sesshoumaru to Miroku, as every conversation seemed to when talking with Sango long enough. Kagome tuned her out, focusing instead on Miroku's advice. She had actually been thinking the same thing, that Sesshoumaru deserved a chance to explain himself. It might not change anything, but it didn't seem fair to dump him by proxy and disappear without a word when he hadn't even confessed to her in the first place. But that was part of the reason she had been so angry…_

"_Kagome? You still there?"_

"_Huh, what?" Kagome snapped out of her reverie and returned her attention back to the call._

"_I said, isn't that just like a man?"_

"_Oh, yeah, it is," Kagome agreed, without knowing what she was agreeing to. "Listen, Sango, I'm sorry, but I have to go. My, uh, my mom needs my help with something."_

"_Oh, sure Kagome. Merry Christmas! I probably won't be able to talk tomorrow. Family day and all."_

"_Merry Christmas," Kagome repeated with as much joy as she could muster._

She had hung up and fled to the bathroom, figuring a long bath had always seemed to dissolve her boy problems when she was in high school. She really should call Sesshoumaru back, at least to break up with him in person. It seemed like the right thing to do, even if they had only been together for a little more than a week. It seemed longer, and so much had happened in such a short time that the whole thing was almost like a dream.

_The problem is, I don't _want_ to talk to him_, Kagome mused. Maybe she would put it off until after the holidays, and try to enjoy the short time with her family instead.

Making up her mind to procrastinate as long as possible, Kagome sunk deeper into the tub with a sense of trepidation. She didn't like being angry with people, and her quick temper was coming back to bite her. This would have been much better if it had been cleanly solved before she had run home. But just as her entire relationship so far with Sesshoumaru had been a whirlwind, comprised of spur-of-the-moment decisions on her part, the end of it was just as tumultuous.

Before Kagome had a chance to mull over that particular aspect of the ordeal, a soft knock on the bathroom door interrupted her thoughts.

"Kagome, someone is at the door for you," her mother said from the other side of the door. "Should I tell him to wait for you, or do you want me to ask him to leave?"

Kagome had no doubt about who was waiting for her in her mother's entryway. She sighed, standing and reaching for her towel. "He can stay. Let him know I'll be a few minutes," she responded, resigned. It seemed fate was taking the decision of when to finally talk to Sesshoumaru out of her hands.

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru waited for Kagome in her mother's kitchen, outwardly the very picture of a calm and collected CEO. On the inside, his ragged nerves warred with his overwrought instincts, and Sesshoumaru wasn't sure whether the first thing he wanted to do when he saw Kagome was wring her neck for making him worry or kiss her senseless.<p>

Reality was somewhat less exciting than anything his mind could conjure, however, and when Kagome finally appeared looking nervous and unhappy in a warm cream sweater and green skirt, Sesshoumaru couldn't do anything other than stare.

He hadn't realized how much he had missed Kagome, how badly he needed to inhale her scent and see her face. She frowned when he didn't say anything and moved to take a seat opposite him at the table, but before she could even get halfway around the room—taking the longer route to avoid being near him, he noticed—he had swept in front of her and pulled her into a ferocious hug.

"Sesshoumaru!"

He could feel her indignation at the way she kept her body taut and didn't put her arms around him, but Sesshoumaru didn't care.

"Do you know how worried I was about you?" he hissed, his harsh tone warring with the tenderness with which he held her. "You didn't answer any of my calls. I flew over practically the entire country trying to track you down."

Kagome pushed him away and looked up at him incredulously. "Why?" she asked. "I've been here the whole time and everyone else at work knew where I was. It couldn't have been that hard to track me down."

Sesshoumaru's mask of calm hardened into something significantly more sinister, and a low growl escaped before he could squelch it. "There will be hell to pay later for Shippou, but that's another story. That damn kitsune sent me to three different prefectures on a wild goose chase to find your family shrine, and he had to employ a fair bit of that trickster magic to pull it off on someone of my caliber. After I figured out what had happened I was able to get your real address from Miroku, but I had already wasted more than a day looking for you."

He all but snarled the last of his words, making it difficult for Kagome to understand him. Mentally, Kagome sighed, thinking she would have to give Shippou a talk about boundaries later, but all she said was, "It's not my fault you were worried because of Shippou's tricks. Why didn't you just check West Capital Management's records for my information?" she asked bitterly.

Sesshoumaru's mouth pressed into a tight line. "Unfortunately, we don't keep information about the extended family members of our clients," he bit out, somewhat unkindly.

"I'm so sorry to have _wasted your time_, Mr. Saiga," Kagome snapped, turning to leave him where he stood in the kitchen, thoroughly over the conversation and his attitude. He was supposed to be apologizing to _her_.

"Wait, Kagome," Sesshoumaru stopped her with a hand to her shoulder, its gentleness belying the strength behind his grip. Kagome knew that she wouldn't be going anywhere unless Sesshoumaru let her.

Sesshoumaru sighed, running a hand through his bangs. "I'm sorry, Kagome. This wasn't how this was supposed to happen." He turned her around and looked into her eyes, steeling himself against the hurt and the hardness he saw gazing back at him. "I came here to apologize for keeping my true identity from you. I never meant to hurt you."

"Well, you botched that up pretty well, then, didn't you?" Kagome frowned, trying to shrug out of his grip and failing.

"You have to understand why I never said anything," Sesshoumaru explained, silently willing her to understand what exactly he had been thinking when he started this whole mess.

"Please, elaborate," Kagome invited, in no mood to let him off the hook with such a weak apology, or, indeed, to let him off the hook at all.

Sesshoumaru sighed again and looked guiltily to the side before steeling himself to her reaction and staring her straight in the eyes once more. "I knew from the moment that I made that infernal wager with my father that yours was the company I would stake my inheritance on. There was never any deliberation. You were always the one who would bring me my victory. Never once have I regretted that decision. Even now, if I were to lose, if I had to call it all off and take the presidency at West Capital Management instead, I wouldn't take anything back. Because no matter what happens, I was able to get close to you.

"I was confident that you would succeed from the beginning; that was the reason I backed your Four Souls in the first place. No one with your personality, your… brightness, wouldn't accomplish anything they put their minds to. Despite all that, I couldn't let you in on the bet. In some ways, I think I was ashamed to even admit to myself what I was trying to achieve. I knew that I was using you as a means to an end, but it never once felt that way, and I honestly never thought of you like that. You were… you were so much more than a tool. You _are_ more than a tool.

"Not only that, but this was never your fight to win. I had to prove to father, and to myself, that I could do it without anyone's help. If you had known, it could have interfered in myriad ways, and for better or for worse, I had to be solely responsible for the outcome of the wager.

"I'll admit, most of my reasons for not telling you who I was were selfish. Not only could it have influenced the bet, but it would have changed how you saw _me._ You would have treated me differently, might not have let me in so easily… More than anything, my reason for choosing Four Soul's was to become closer to you, Kagome. I've loved you for so long… much longer than I think you ever realized. I _needed_ to find a way for you to get to know me, the real me, without the knowledge of my connection with your company or my involvement in its inception hanging over our heads. This was the perfect opportunity, and I couldn't ruin our chances at being together before we even tried. And then, things were going so well… please believe me when I say that I was going to tell you. I just hadn't found the right time. If Inuyasha hadn't…"

Sesshoumaru trailed off, looking regretful and angry all at once, his eyes pleading with Kagome to understand, to accept his reasoning. To leave put it all behind them and let him in once more.

Kagome was silent throughout his explanation, the stony expression on her face never giving away the riot of emotions fluttering through her heart. He loved her, that much was obvious. But if he loved her like he claimed, why had he lied, continued to lie, when he knew he truth would break her heart harder the longer they were together? If he had told her after their first date, their first kiss, their first confession of love… Maybe then she wouldn't feel as though her soul was shattering into a million pieces, just like the jewel shard in the legend that she had named her beloved company after.

"Can you forgive me, Kagome?" Sesshoumaru finally asked, and she brought herself out of her morose thoughts to focus on him once more.

"Sesshoumaru, I…" Kagome trailed off, praying her voice didn't break when she said what she had to say. "I'm not sure yet whether I can… whether I will be able to forgive you. Ignoring the fact that your logic behind not telling me is flawed in more ways than one, you betrayed my trust. And not only that, but you may have cost me my business with your arrogance," she admitted shakily. "I'm flattered that you think so much of me and the company, but there is no guarantee we'll make a profit at all, let alone in the six months you've restricted us to. For all I know, West Capital Management would demand we repay all our loans or go bankrupt by the end of your bet, just to sweep this whole thing under the rug if you're forced to take over as CEO. Hell, for all I know, you'd do it yourself just to get back at us for failing to meet your expectations."

"I would _never—_" Sesshoumaru protested, but Kagome held up a hand to stop him.

"The point is, you're playing with people's livelihoods. You played with my _feelings_ for you by not admitting your involvement with our investors… that you _were_ our investor, from the beginning. I loved you, Sesshoumaru. I probably still love you, but right now I'm just so confused… I need time to work this all out in my head."

"But, I… I can't live without you," Sesshoumaru admitted quietly.

"I'm not saying everything is over," Kagome told him. "I'm just saying I need time. I need to figure out what I'm really feeling, and whether I'll ever be able to trust you again."

"Kagome, please, can't you just—"

"No, I can't _just_, Sesshoumaru," Kagome snapped, finally shaking off her melancholy and getting properly angry once again. "You've committed a major sin as far as relationships go. I can't just forget it all and trust you as though nothing happened. I'm not a robot, and I think you probably prefer me that way, even if you can't realize it right now."

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to protest, irritation coloring his features at her tone. Kagome didn't give him a chance to speak.

"You've said all you need to," she informed him crisply. "I'll call you when I'm ready to talk. Let me show you to the door."

"I can find my own way out," Sesshoumaru responded coldly.

"Well then…" Kagome trailed off. "I suppose I'll be seeing you," she finished lamely.

Sesshoumaru whirled around without another word and swept angrily toward the door, furious at himself for his own foolishness and overconfidence and at Kagome for not taking him at his word. He wrenched open the door and was about to storm out into the cold when he stopped suddenly. Kagome, who had been watching him from the kitchen, tensed warily at his sudden change in demeanor.

Sesshoumaru stood there for several seconds, silently debating something, when he shook his head as if to clear it. He slammed the door shut and stalked back to Kagome, grabbing her firmly by the shoulders and kissing her hard on the mouth. It wasn't a passionate kiss so much as a desperate one, but Kagome responded in kind, despite her warring heart.

Finally Sesshoumaru pulled back, a tight set to his mouth and determination staring out at Kagome from behind shocking gold irises.

"Just to be clear, I _will_ get you back," he growled. "I'll do whatever it takes for you to be mine."

He kissed her one last time, a soft touch of his lips that contrasted sharply with his earlier fervency. Then he whirled out the door and was gone.


	25. Forever United

_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

_words: 3,353; prompt: Warm Hands, Warm Heart, Christmas Challenge Dokuga_contest; rating: T_

**A note: **I want to give a very warm and wonderful thank you to everyone who stuck with this story despite my long absence! If you read my other stories, you might know that I took a hiatus because I was blessed with a baby in January of 2013, and I had been a bit overwhelmed with my new responsibilities. Finishing this story has been on my to-do list for quite some time, and I'm pleased to have finally finished it. I also did some relatively extensive edits to other chapters; nothing content-wise, but if you do decide to re-read the story to familiarize yourself with everything before continuing, you might notice some small changes for the better.

Because I love this duo and storyline so much, I'm considering posting a series of short one-shots involving our favorite couple. If you're interested in reading more about these two (both their future and their past, as I'd still like to do a one-shot of the time that they met), please let me know in your review so I can gauge possible interest.

**Thank you** to everyone who reviewed and read; I look forward to seeing you in my other stories! Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>December 25—Forever United<strong>

_(Merry Christmas!)_

Kagome stepped outside, eager for some solitude after a full day of pretending to be happy in front of her family. She knew her mother didn't buy it for a second, but she had played along for the sake of her brother Souta and her grandfather. Kagome was certain that once Christmas was officially over, though, she would have to explain everything , for her mother had been more than patient.

Kagome hadn't slept a wink the night before. She had played that kiss over and over in her head, trying to focus on an answer for Sesshoumaru, but instead only able to remember the feel of his lips against hers, his harsh words of determination breathed against her hair.

"What on earth am I going to do?" she moaned into her hands, shivering against the cold winter night. She stared up at the stars, her breath puffing in long clouds out of her mouth and into the sky like smoke. The stars took her back to her first date with Sesshoumaru; she remembered the way he had slipped her key into his pocket, the way his fingers had toyed with her own on the drive to the restaurant, the way he stared with rapt fascination while she talked about everything and nothing as they ate.

Back then, it had been so simple, _he _had been so simple. Was it only two weeks ago? He hadn't been a millionaire, an investor in her company, a man with interests or designs on her besides getting her to go out with him. There had been no bet, no lies, and certainly no conflict of interest. Well… maybe there had been a small conflict of interest, but it had been on _her _part, not his. What was it to her if she dated her underling, for back then, _she_ had been the boss. It was like a punch in the gut to realize the entire time their roles were really reversed, except it was worse than all that, because he wasn't just her boss, he _owned_ _her._

Truly, Kagome should have been able to separate the idea of Sesshoumaru technically sharing ownership of her business from the concept of owning her as if she were property. But to Kagome, her business contained parts of her soul. She had poured her sweat, blood, and tears into that business, and now that she knew the man she loved had held it in the palm of his hand the entire time, with no one the wiser, it hurt more than it probably had a right to.

_I'm such a hypocrite_, Kagome thought, a tear escaping unbidden and tracing its way down her cheek. She turned to go back into the house, perhaps to hide in the bathroom for a proper cry, and was startled to see her mother standing behind her, watching Kagome with a compassionate, pitying look in her eyes.

"I came out to see if you wanted some Christmas cake," her mother explained, not moving to comfort Kagome despite the tears tracking down her cheeks. "I didn't want to interrupt when you seemed so deep in thought. I know you've been avoiding talking about whatever it is that happened, and I just assumed you'd tell me when you were ready. But I'm always here for you, Kagome. Whether you're eight or eighty, I'll always be here for you."

It was then that Kagome broke. All the feelings she had been trying to keep locked inside, the regret, the self-loathing, poured out of her at the look of pure acceptance and love on her mother's face.

"Oh, mama!" she sobbed, throwing herself into her mother's arms and crying out her soul right there under the shrine gate. "I'm such a fool!"

"What happened, Kagome?" her mother asked, rubbing her back comfortingly and leading her daughter to sit down on the shrine steps overlooking the busy street below.

Kagome poured out the whole story, starting from the moment she had hired Sesshoumaru almost two months ago. She explained her inappropriate infatuation with the man who worked for her, the passion with which she threw herself into their relationship, her heartbreak at discovering he had been lying to her the entire time, finally tearfully relaying their conversation from the night before.

"I just don't know what to do," Kagome lamented, sniffling unattractively. "I feel like my life's been turned upside down, and while I'm sure that I still love him, I don't know if I can trust him. How can you have a relationship without any trust?"

Her mother was silent for several moments, staring at the lights of the city laid out below them.

"When I first began seeing your father," her mother began, "I had no idea that he was the son of a shrine priest. Our relationship became serious, and we began making plans to be married. At the time, I was finishing university and planned to go to another college for a second degree. The school I had my heart set on attending was in Hokkaido, and your father knew this when we started dating. He also knew that his responsibility lay in Tokyo, at his family shrine. As an only child, he could not in good conscience move to Hokkaido when grandfather was expecting him to take over as priest within the year.

"But your father waited until we had plans to be married before telling me about his family. He had led me to believe that he was willing to move with me, and that his job wouldn't be an issue."

"What did you do?" Kagome gasped, never having heard this story about her parents, or indeed, never even having known that her mother attended university.

"Oh, I was mad at first," her mother confessed, smiling fondly at the memory. "But a few nights later your father came over to my house and camped outside the window, claiming that he wouldn't leave until I took him back. I realized then that his love for me was what drove him to keep his secret for long. Actually, I felt guilty that I had spent all my time focusing on my plans for the future, never giving your father a chance to talk about his own. He wanted so badly not to lose me that he kept his own responsibilities a secret until he no longer had a choice.

"Don't get me wrong," her mother explained as Kagome opened her mouth to protest. "Your father should have said something sooner. And I'm not saying the situations are exactly the same. I won't lie and say it wasn't difficult to resolve that part of our relationship, and it was a hard decision for me to choose to stay in Tokyo with your father. But I never regretted it."

"Do you think I should just forgive Sesshoumaru and forget any of this happened?" Kagome asked, somewhat bitterly.

"I think that's a decision you have to make on your own, Kagome," her mother said gently. "I just know that if I hadn't given your father a second chance, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. And that in spite of all his bad decisions, in the end your father was truly motivated to do what he did out of love. His intentions were pretty misguided, and of course he made a lot of mistakes, but he was only human. I know Sesshoumaru is a demon," she said quickly, "but I think they're just as capable as making mistakes as the rest of us."

Kagome sat in silence for several minutes, contemplating. Her mother stood after a bit, stretching and rubbing her hands together to warm them against the cold. "Whatever you decide is fine, Kagome. Just make sure that you won't regret whatever decision you make."

She left Kagome alone, and though she continued to ponder her options, Kagome already knew what she was going to do. She stood suddenly and ran into the house, clattering into the closet to collect her coat and purse.

"I'm going, mama," she yelled into the kitchen, where the rest of her family were gathered, eating cake and drinking tea. "Merry Christmas Souta, Gramps!"

She didn't wait for them to answer as she sprinted back out the door, running down the shrine steps as fast as her legs would carry her.

"What was that all about?" Souta wondered, before taking an enormous bite of cake.

"More for us, anyway," Gramps shrugged, cutting himself another slice.

Kagome's mother smiled softly, but didn't answer, instead going to the front door to stare out after her daughter. "Good luck, Kagome," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru was brooding. His apartment was dark and he was sitting shirtless on his couch, staring into space, feeling sorry for himself. He supposed it was a rather pathetic way to be spending Christmas, but it wasn't as if he really cared about the holiday in the first place. It would have been one thing to have Kagome over, celebrating with her, but it was altogether another thing when he was a recently-single man who just wanted to forget everything that was currently happening in his life.<p>

He had relented and untied Inuyasha two mornings ago, tired of listening to him whine and curse throughout the night. As soon as he was free, Inuyasha had catapulted into the bathroom and spent a disturbingly long time locked in there. Before Sesshoumaru could comment when he finally emerged, Inuyasha was out the door and down the driveway in his ridiculously expensive car.

Inuyasha had left all the presents Kagome had bought in Sesshoumaru's living room, reasoning that she would come to get them sooner or later and if Sesshoumaru had them, at least then she would be forced to see him. While it was a small step toward repairing the damage he had done, Sesshoumaru figured Inuyasha had quite a lot of repenting ahead of him to make up for his slip, regardless of whether Kagome took him back. It went without saying that if Kagome _didn't _take Sesshoumaru back, he would make Inuyasha's life a living hell for the rest of his natural born days, but truthfully, Sesshoumaru was angrier at himself than anyone else. At the time, it had seemed like such a good idea. Now he realized it was a colossal mistake, and while Inuyasha had been the one to spill the beans, Sesshoumaru really had no one to blame but himself.

Sesshoumaru fingered the box in his pocket for the umpteenth time, running his fingers along the soft velvet covering and slipping a claw inside the seam. If Kagome took him back, he promised himself that he would more than make it up to her. If he could just see her smile one more time, he would turn the world upside down to make it happen. He was brought out of his reverie by a knock on the door.

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to get up, instead sinking further into the black leather of his couch and shooting the door a death glare. "Inuyasha, if that's you," Sesshoumaru called, "I suggest you turn around and leave. Because if I have to get up and open the door to your ugly mug, I swear to you you'll wish you'd never been born."

It was silent for several minutes, and Sesshoumaru assumed Inuyasha had just taken the hint and left, when a soft, embarrassed cough sounded from the entryway. Sesshoumaru bolted up on the couch. That was _not_ Inuyasha.

He was at the door in seconds, throwing it open and staring out at Kagome, who was shivering on his doorstep with lips that were starting to look quite blue.

"Ka-Kagome!" he gasped, so startled to see her that he forgot to invite her in.

Kagome just looked up at him, a steady flush creeping up her face and tinting the tips of her ears. She averted her eyes and mumbled awkwardly, "Um…"

Sesshoumaru looked down at himself and realized he had greeted her in a comfortably faded pair of jeans and nothing else. Fighting his own blush, he pulled her in the door and steered her to the couch. "Stay," he commanded, holding his hands up as if that would prevent her from moving. He changed into something more appropriate, straining his senses from the bedroom to make sure she hadn't moved. When he returned, Kagome was examining his apartment, looking distinctly uncomfortable at how much more opulent it was than her own. Sesshoumaru realized with a start that she had never been here, and his heart ached at how right it felt to have her sitting on his couch, despite her obvious uneasiness.

"Kagome, I…" Sesshoumaru began, sitting beside her on the couch. Kagome held a finger to his lips and he stopped cold, eyes widening slightly at the contact. It felt so _good_ to have her touch him, and, embarrassingly, he wanted to lean into her hand and whimper in relief.

"Let me talk first," she said softly, slowly removing her finger from his mouth. His lips tingled where she had touched.

"I thought a lot about what you said. I wasn't sure I was ready to forgive you, if I would ever be able to trust you again," Kagome explained sadly, refusing to meet his eyes. "Then I talked to my mama, and… well, I realized some things. I know that the only reason we were able to get the break with the Takahashi party was because of you. I mean," she amended quickly, "I know that he was just doing it all to try and rub everything in your face, but the fact remains that without it, my company wouldn't be getting the attention it is."

Kagome took a deep breath and finally looked at Sesshoumaru. He could see tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as she continued, "I also know that without you I wouldn't have met Ayame or Kouga or Inuyasha…" she choked a bit, fighting back a sob. "I wouldn't have those friendships or connections without your generosity and determination to help small companies in need."

The tears did fall then, and while Sesshoumaru longed to reach out and brush them from her cheeks, to comfort her and hold her close, he let her finish, waiting with baited breath for the conclusion of her realizations.

"I know that without you, we never would be where we are right now, where we'll certainly be going in the next year," Kagome sniffed. "I still think you should have told me from the beginning, or at least when we got together, but I also think that you only had my company's best interests in mind from the start. And that means you had my best interests in mind, so… That is… if you can promise to never lie to me about something like this again, I think we can give us another chance."

She finished shyly, a blush stealing up her cheeks as she looked him in the eyes once more. Before she could so much as blink, Sesshoumaru was on her, crushing her to him a soul-wrenching hug.

"I _love you_, Kagome," he whispered fervently, before tilting her chin and meeting her lips in a breathtaking kiss.

Kagome melted, sighing into his embrace and gasping when his tongue teased her lips before sweeping in and thoroughly overwhelming her. She broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his and panting, enjoying the way Sesshoumaru didn't break contact with her skin for even one moment, brushing light, passionate kisses over her face and neck.

"Sesshoumaru," she moaned, tilting her head to give him better access. "Don't you think we should take this a little slower?"

"Slower?" he growled, not stopping his ministrations. "When has anything about our relationship ever been slow, Kagome?"

He didn't give her a chance to answer, snatching her lips again and this time deepening the kiss in such a way that Kagome couldn't have pronounced her own name, much less found the articulation to protest. Sesshoumaru lowered Kagome to the couch, covering her body with his own, and snuck his hands under her shirt, brushing her stomach with his claws and making her gasp and squirm. He firmly grasped her hips and pulled her comfortably into the cradle of his body, settling his legs around her and groaning at the way she fit him perfectly.

They stayed that way for long minutes, reacquainting each other with the feel and taste and scent of their bodies. Clothes dropped to the floor piece by piece, and Sesshoumaru honestly had no inclination to stop before dawn, thinking that this was absolutely the most perfect Christmas present anyone could ever give him. But there was something he had to do first.

He pulled away, and Kagome whimpered at the loss of contact. Sesshoumaru smirked and kissed her lightly on the lips one more time before leaning down to where his jeans were laying haphazardly on the floor and reaching into the pocket. He pulled out the box he had been fiddling with earlier, noting the way Kagome's eyes widened when she saw it. He rested it between them on her chest and looked deeply into her eyes.

"I know we just made up, but I've known you were the one for me almost from the moment I met you," Sesshoumaru confessed. "I've loved you for so long, and I've had this since before we even started dating. You knew when I asked you out that it was with the intention of courting you to make you mine, permanently."

Sesshoumaru's eyes glowed with intensity, and Kagome was half afraid, half excited about what she knew was coming next. She smiled tentatively and grabbed his hand, twining her fingers with his to encourage him to continue.

"I want you to know how serious I am about you, and how sorry I am for almost ruining our chances with my foolishness. I'm in this for the long haul, Kagome, no matter what happens with my business or with yours. I want to be with you forever. Will you do me the honor of becoming my mate?"

At this, Sesshoumaru opened the jewelry box, and winking out at Kagome was the most brilliant, beautiful diamond she had ever seen. It was large, but tastefully so, and simple enough to suit her modest tastes.

"Sesshoumaru," she breathed, taking the ring reverently out of the box and feeling tears welling yet again. Her heart was so full and warm with love she thought it might burst. "It's beautiful!"

He looked at her expectantly and she laughed, tears squeezing out of the corners of her eyes. "Of course I'll be your mate!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. Sesshoumaru responded with another bruising kiss, pulling away before they became so lost in each other that Kagome dropped the ring. He took it gently from her hand and slipped in on her finger, elated that she was finally marked as his in some tangible way, albeit not a permanent one.

He would rectify that soon enough.

Kagome squealed when he stood suddenly with her cradled securely in his arms. She flushed and covered her bare chest, glaring when he only chuckled and leaned in for another kiss.

"I'll be seeing much more than that before the night is over," he murmured in her ear, pleased when she gasped and shivered, the flush stealing its way down to her chest. Sesshoumaru carted her to the entrance of his bedroom, striding inside and kicking the door closed. He set her gently on the bed before leaning over her and once again covering her lips with his. He went slowly, savoring each breath he caught with his tongue and relishing the nuances in her scent each time he touched a particularly sensitive spot. He was certainly in no hurry to leave the bedroom anytime soon.

And if they didn't come out for several more days, well, Kagome didn't need to be at the shrine again until New Year's. They had all the time in the world.

_**Fin**_


End file.
